LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

plūma

plūma f (genitive plūmae)
Classical[ˈpɫuː.ma]Ecclesiastical[ˈpluː.ma]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. feather, plume
  2. broadlymetal scale of armor
  3. beard-down
    23 BCE – 13 BCE, Horatius, Carmina 4.10.2

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

penna parva et mollissima.
plūma -ae f — in Mille Verba, Animālia

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Ala · Penna · Pluma · Pinna

1. Ala (from ἔχω, vehere) denotes ‘the wing,’ as a joint, like πτέρυξ; penna (πέτεσθαι), with reference to its feathers, like πτερόν. Plaut. Pœn. iv. 2. 48. Meæ alæ pennas non habent. 2. Penna denotes the larger and harder feathers; pluma, the smaller and softer feathers, which serve as a clothing to the body of the bird, like πτίλον. Sen. Ep. 42. Meministi, cum quendam affirmares esse in tua potestate, dixisse me volaticum esse ac levem, et te non pedem ejus tenere, sed pennam. Mentitus sum; pluma tenebatur, quam remisit et fugit. Cic. N. D. ii. 47. 121. 3. Penna denotes the whole, consisting of quill and feathers; pinna, the feather only, in opposition to the quill. (v. 204.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplūmaplūmae
genitiveplūmaeplūmārum
dativeplūmaeplūmīs
accusativeplūmamplūmās
ablativeplūmāplūmīs
vocativeplūmaplūmae

plūma, ae, f.,
I. a small, soft feather; in plur., fine, soft feathers, down.
I. Lit. (clas.; syn. penna): (animantium) pluma alias, alias squamā videmus obductas, Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 121: plumae versicolores, id. Fin. 3, 5, 18: mollis, Verg. A. 10, 192: in plumis delituisse Jovem, i. e. in the form of a swan, Ov. H. 8, 68.—They were used esp. for stuffing pillows and the beds of litters: dormit in plumā, Mart. 12, 17, 8: pensilibus plumis vehi, i. e. in litters, Juv. 1, 159: in plumā paternā dormire, id. 6, 88. —Also in clothing: non avium plumae in usum vestium conseruntur? Sen. Ep. 90, 14.—As an image of lightness, triviality, insignificance, like feather with us: homo levior quam pluma, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 23: levior plumā est gratia, id. Poen. 3, 6, 17: ipsi plumā aut folio facilius moventur, Cic. Att. 8, 15, 2: pluma haud interest, patronus, an cliens probior siet, there is not a pin to choose, Plaut. Most. 2, 1, 60.—
II. Transf.
A. Of the first beard, down (poet.): insperata tuae cum veniet pluma superbiae, Hor. C. 4, 10, 2.—
B. The scales on a coat of mail, Stat. Th. 11, 542; cf.: equus, quem pellis aënis In plumam squamis auro conserta tegebat, i. e. scales of brass overlaid on a skin, Verg. A. 11, 771 Serv. and Heyn. ad loc.: equis operimenta erant, quae lintea ferreis laminis in modum plumae adnexuerant, Sall. H. 4, 59 Dietsch.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*plew-
  2. Latinplūma

Proto-Indo-European *plewk-der. Proto-Indo-European *plewk-smeh₂ Proto-Italic *plouksmā Latin plūma Inherited from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-smeh₂, from *plewk- (“to fly”), from *plew-. Cognate with Lithuanian plùnksna (“feather”).

Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanploma
  • Occitanpluma
  • Franco-Provençalploma
  • Old Frenchplume
Borrowings
  • Portuguesepluma
  • Spanishpluma
  • Asturianpluma
  • Hebrewפלומה
  • Old Irishclúm
  • Proto-Brythonic*plʉβ̃
  • Proto-West Germanic*plūmu
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianpiuma
  • Sicilianchiuma
  • Venetanpiuma
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianplume
Elsewhere
  • Emilianpiómma

Quick answers

What does plūma mean in Latin?
plūma, a noun, means “feather, plume; metal scale of armor; beard-down”.
What is the genitive of plūma?
The genitive singular is plūmae. plūma is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce plūma?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɫuː.ma]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpluː.ma].
Where does plūma come from?
Proto-Indo-European *plew- → Latin plūma.