swan's down
- noun
- /swɑnz daʊn/
:
plumas de cisne
- The luxurious pillow was filled with swan's down for unmatched softness.
Examples
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She touched the blanket, amazed by how light and warm swan's down could be.
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In the 18th century, garments lined with swan's down were highly prized among the nobility.
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The pillow is filled with swan's down.
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I bought a jacket made of swan's down.
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In the 18th century, garments lined with swan's down were highly prized among the nobility.
-
The luxurious pillow was filled with swan's down for unmatched softness.
-
She touched the blanket, amazed by how light and warm swan's down could be.
Synonyms
34
4.8
Soft, fine feathers on young birds and under adult feathers
3
3.8
Soft fine feathers from under a goose used as warm filling
1
3.2
A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm
A soft filling that people make from swan feathers and use in clothing and bedding
Soft feathers from the eider duck used to fill warm bedding
Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing
Surface Forms
Morphology
swan's + down
The phrase is a straightforward possessive composition: 'swan's' indicates belonging and 'down' denotes fine insulating feathers, so the meaning 'the down of a swan' is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard noun + noun/possessive semantics, so a B1 learner who knows 'swan' and 'down' will readily understand it.
Etymology
Swan's down originally meant the soft, fine feathers under the swan's outer feathers. Because people filled blankets and pillows with these light, warm feathers, the phrase today means 'the soft, fine feathers' used for filling and warmth.