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unfeathered

unfeathered

8.2
Having no feathers on part or all of the body
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈfɛðərd/
translation icon : sin plumas
  • Convinced that Gaia was robust and all-controlling, Lovelock had difficulty admitting that the pesky unfeathered bipeds of the human race could significantly injure it.

The gulls blew out and blew back in and blew back out, feathered, unfeathered, refeathered again and again, right above where the Coppweta class had been.

Examples

  • The young chick was still unfeathered, relying on its mother's warmth for protection.

  • An unfeathered area on the bird's wing indicated it was molting and growing new feathers.

  • If a totally unfeathered edge is needed, use a hard-edged brush or the pencil.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Money for nothin' and the unfeathered chickadees are freely worth the same tokens... lolol.

    Blog text (16)
  • The bird was unfeathered after a harsh winter, with bare patches on its body.

Synonyms

featherless
vsunfeathered
1 4.1

An animal, often a bird, that does not have the soft outer covering

is used mainly for birds or specific feathered parts rather than all creatures
unfledged
vsunfeathered
9.9

Not yet covered in feathers, like a young bird or an arrow

refers only to absence of feathers without implying immaturity or incompleteness
unvaned
vsunfeathered
  • Specialized
9.9

An arrow without feathers that help it fly straight

applies mainly to birds or bird parts rather than to arrows or shafts

Antonyms

28 1.6

Covered or decorated with feathers

How Feathered

feathered
28 1.6
unfeathered
8.2

Surface Forms

unfeathered positive

Morphology

unfeathered = feathered (transparent) = un + feather + ed

Formed by negation 'un-' added to the adjective 'feathered'; meaning 'not having feathers' is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word unfeathered is made of un- 'not' and feather 'feather', so it means 'without feathers'. So, an unfeathered bird or a body part such as a leg has no feathers and may be unable to fly or keep warm.