plume — a noun meaning a “feather” in its simplest definition

pluma — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning

These words come from Latin’s pluma which also means a “feather.” In Latin, however, it tended to refer to a “small, soft feather,” whereas in English, we tend to think of a “plume” as a “large, showy feather.”

Since it takes a large feather, or a “plume,” to create one of the original type of “pens,” perhaps it’s no wonder that a common word for “pen” in Spanish is also “pluma.” When learning Spanish, you will also learn the word “bolígrafo” for pen, but many textbooks use “pluma” because of the ease of associating a large “plume” and an inkpot to signify a “pen.”

Thus, many students who are first learning Spanish come across “la pluma” for “the pen” far before they ever learn that it also means “feather.” Our word “feather” comes to us from Old English and Greek, so it doesn’t have the Latin connection that “plume” does. Since Spanish comes from Latin, they use “pluma” for “feather.”

When I taught Spanish, though, I was surprised by the number of students who had no prior knowledge of the word “plume” in English — they simply used the word “feather” to refer to, well, to refer to a “feather.”

If you know writing lingo, you may have heard the term “nom de plume,” which is a French expression that translates to “pen name.” It translates to that only if you understand that the “plume” is a “feather” being used as a “pen.” It does not mean “feather name.” Ha ha.

Even though it’s a French expression, it was most likely coined in English after we started using the word “plume” to refer to early pens. I guess we writers wanted to sound more sophisticated than simply using the phrase “pen name” or the rather ugly-sounding word “pseudonym.” “Nom de plume” sounds so fancy, doesn’t it?

If you study or like birds, you have probably admired their “plumage.” Simply put, that is their “feathers.” In Spanish, that word is “el plumaje.”

“El plumaje de un pavo real es magnífico.” = The plumage of a peacock is magnificent.

“Plume” can also be a verb meaning “to deck with feathers.” In Spanish, that is “emplumar.” You can see the word “pluma” inside that verb.

If you hunt birds solely for their feathers, you are a “plumer” (“plumero” in Spanish), but make sure you don’t take a “plume” of a bald eagle, or you’ll face a hefty fine of 100,000 dollars!

If something is feathery, it is “plumose.” That is “plumoso” for masculine things in Spanish and “plumosa” for feminine things. Thus, you might have “un sombrero plumoso” or “una falda plumosa” for a feathery hat or a feathery skirt.

Now that you’ve learned a bit more about “plumes,” you can add a feather to your cap and make it even more plumose.

Until next time.

Tammy Marshall

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