aftershaft

9.9

A small extra feather at the base of a main feather that helps keep a bird warm

noun
/ˈæftərˌʃæft/

Specialized

: pluma secundaria

You can see the tiny aftershaft beneath the main feather when the wing is spread.

Examples

Some birds have a well-developed aftershaft that helps insulate their bodies.
The ornithologist carefully examined the aftershaft to identify the bird species.
The bird's aftershaft helps with insulation.
Many birds have an aftershaft at the base of their feathers.
Some birds have a well-developed aftershaft that helps insulate their bodies.
The ornithologist carefully examined the aftershaft to identify the bird species.
You can see the tiny aftershaft beneath the main feather when the wing is spread.

Synonyms

feather

vsaftershaft

254 1.0

A light flat part of a bird with a thin middle and many thin hair-like parts

is a small secondary structure attached to the base of a main shaft

Surface Forms

aftershaft singular

aftershafts plural

Morphology

aftershaft = shaft (semi-transparent) = after + shaft

The components 'after' + 'shaft' are semantically clear, but the term denotes a specific anatomical feature and is specialized vocabulary, so it may not be fully guessable by general learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'after' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Aftershaft comes from the parts after meaning 'behind' and shaft meaning 'long central stem', as in the shaft of a spear. So an aftershaft is a small, second feather that sits behind or under the main shaft of a feather and helps keep the bird warm.