The quill or barrel of a feather; (also) †the quill of a porcupine (obsolete). Now rare (regional).

The shaft of a feather, or something made from it. The hollow shaft of a feather, esp. the lower part or calamus, which lacks barbs; (more…

One of the filaments or fibres of a feather; the soft fine feathers or fur of birds or beasts; down, fluff.

The shaft of a feather.

The series of barbs on each side of the shaft of a bird's feather; the vane or vexillum.

The plumage or feathers of a bird, esp. the downy plumage; the downy part of a feather.

= quill, n.1

Zoology. Any of various filaments, bristles, or appendages on an animal thought to resemble a beard… The vane or web of a feather; (also) any of the…

The shaft of a feather. Obsolete. rare.

The web of a feather.

A stem, columnar or straight portion of something. In various Natural History uses. (a) The main stem or scape of a feather. (b) The part of a…

A barb or barbule of a feather. Cf. beard, n. 5c. Obsolete. rare.

Anatomy and Zoology. The innermost of the three layers of a mammalian hair. Also: the mesodermal tissue that occupies the shaft of a growing feather.

One of the lateral filaments or processes from the shaft of a feather, which bear the barbules.

One of the series of pointed, and sometimes serrated or hooked, processes, fringing the barbs of a feather, and filling up the space between them.

Applied to various objects resembling the stem of a plant or of a flower, etc. (Cf. stalk, n.1 4 5.) The shaft, n.2 of a hair, of a feather.

the pulp or matrix from which the feather is formed.

= afterfeather, n. In later use also: the shaft of such a structure.

One of the minute hooked filaments which serve to interlock the barbules of a bird's feathers.

Zoology. The shaft of a down feather.

Ornithology. The flat extended part of a feather, composed of barbs attached to the rachis; the vane or web of a feather.

Ornithology. (See quot. 1872.)

Zoology. The stem or shaft of a bird's feather, esp. the part bearing the vane (as distinguished from the calamus).

A barb or fibre of a feather. Cf. herl, n.

Ornithology. The lower, unbarbed part of the shaft of a bird's feather.

Ornithology. A barbule of a feather (barbule, n. 2). Usually in plural. Now rare.

Ornithology. A barb of a feather.

Ornithology. = scape, n.2 4.

Ornithology. The barbicels of a feather.