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to feather

to feather

1 6.7
To make an edge soft so it blends into the background
  • verb
  • /ˈfɛðər/
  • Specialized
: difuminar
  • I'm just going to feather the edges of that a little bit like she did.
  • feather the edges

So now we're just going to feather it out.

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Examples

  • So let's just feather it up so we can kind of see what we're working with here.

  • So I'm going to take a little bit on my brush, not too much, and then just use that to feather out that brown.

  • I'm just going to add a brown that much in the center and then feather the outskirts.

  • Go along the brow and just, like, feather upwards.

  • In graphic design, you might want to feather the edges of an image to create a smooth transition into the background.

  • To achieve a soft effect in your painting, remember to feather the edges with a light touch of your brush.

  • When you feather the selection in photo editing software, it blends the edges, making the cutout look more natural.

Idioms

People who share similar interests often spend time together

To be so surprised that you almost cannot react

in full feather
  • Archaic
1 9.2

Wearing bright feathers or the best clothes and looking proud

6.3

An achievement you can be proud of

8.3

Use a job or position to get money for yourself in a dishonest way

Phrasal Verbs

to tar-and-feather
  • Offensive
8 9.9

Cover someone with hot sticky tar and then feathers to punish and shame them publicly

Compounds

8 2.4

A feather that grows on a bird's tail

5 3.9

A soft mattress filled with feathers to keep you warm while sleeping

4 4.4

A long fluffy scarf made of feathers worn to look glamorous or to finish a costume

1 3.2

A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm

flight feather
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A large stiff feather on a bird's wing or tail that helps it fly

feather star
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A sea animal with many feathery arms that can swim and lives on the sea floor

primary feather
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A long part of a bird's wing at the outer edge that helps the bird fly

white feather
  • Offensive
1 9.5

A small white piece from a bird that people give to show someone is a coward

A tall garden grass with feathery flower spikes used for decoration

feather-brain
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A person who often forgets things and acts silly

1 6.6

A palm tree with long leaves divided into many thin parts like a bird's wing

A long stiff part of a bird's wing once used for writing

A long curved tail feather on a rooster that looks decorative

contour feather
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A feather that covers a bird's body and forms its smooth outer shape

1 9.9

A small water plant with thin leaves that look like feathers

1 9.9

A coral that grows in feathery groups on warm ocean reefs

8.5

A silly idea that shows little thought

9.9

A small round cactus with white feathery spines from northern Mexico

A small plant with a pleasant smell, oak-shaped leaves, and groups of yellow-green flowers

9.9

A plant with tall spikes of small purple flowers that attract butterflies

9.9

A New Zealand fern with divided leaves and very hairy stalks

A yearly garden plant with long hanging red flower spikes

A tall garden plant with long colorful flower spikes

saddle feather
  • Specialized
8.9

A long narrow feather on the back of a chicken near its tail

How Smooth

smooth
1 5.8
to feather
  • Specialized
1 6.7
to blend
219 2.3

Surface Forms

feather infinitive
feathered past
feathered past participle
feathering present participle
feathers third person singular

Etymology

To feather an edge in art uses the image of a soft feather — a helpful way to remember it is that you make the border soft and light so it blends, like the soft ends of bird feathers.