🌴 A rattan palm 🌱 Aromatic plant root 🪶 Feather base ✒️ A reed pen

calamus

9.9

The hollow base of a feather that holds it in the bird's skin

noun
/ˈkæləməs/

Specialized

: cálamo

The calamus anchors the feather firmly in the bird's skin.

Examples

You can see the calamus at the base of this wing feather.
During preening, the bird cleaned dirt from the calamus and the rest of its feathers.
The calamus is an important part of the feather.
Birds use their calami to anchor feathers to their skin.
During preening, the bird cleaned dirt from the calamus and the rest of its feathers.
The calamus anchors the feather firmly in the bird's skin.
You can see the calamus at the base of this wing feather.

Synonyms

quill

vscalamus

1 5.3

The hollow central part of a bird's feather

refers specifically to the lower tubular part that attaches to the skin

Compounds

Calamus australis

Specialized

9.9

A tall spiny climbing palm from northeast Queensland, Australia, with long stems used for weaving

calamus oil

Specialized

9.9

A fragrant oil from the calamus root used in perfumes that may cause cancer

Calamus rotang

Specialized

9.9

A climbing palm with long flexible stems used to make walking canes

Acorus calamus

Specialized

9.6

A marsh plant with long swordlike leaves and fragrant roots used in medicine

genus Calamus

Specialized

9.9

A group of sea fish like porgies found in the western Atlantic

genus Calamus

Specialized

9.9

A group of climbing palm plants with spiny stems used for weaving

sweet calamus

9.6

A marsh plant with long leaves and sweet-smelling roots used for flavoring and medicine

Surface Forms

calamus singular

calami plural

Etymology

Calamus meaning the hollow base of a feather comes from the old Greek kalamos meaning 'reed', because that part is a small, hollow tube much like a reed. So the word calamus names the quill-like base that holds the feather to the bird's skin.