Definition of "plume" []

• A feather, especially a large and showy one. (noun)
• A large feather or cluster of feathers worn as an ornament or symbol of rank, as on a helmet. (noun)
• A token of honor or achievement. (noun)
• A structure or form that is like a long feather: a plume of smoke. (noun)
• Ecology A space in air, water, or soil containing pollutants released from a point source. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""If it has come from something like that, then the airborne bacteria what we call a plume could have travelled over several kilometres given the right weather conditions, and that's the scenario we are looking at now.""
• "A reader of the NYT article might expect to look at the plume from the plant's smokestacks and see lots of smoke."
• "February 21st, 2009 by admin plume over algae moss"