defeatherv.
/ˌdiːˈfɛðə/, U.S. /diˈfɛðər/ transitive. To remove the feathers from (a bird, esp. a poultry or game bird), typically in preparation for cooking; to pluck. Also intransitive.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of fowls > prepare fowls [verb (transitive)] > pluck feathers
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defeather1883
1883 Granville (Ohio) Times 8 June 1/5 Chickens are defeathered, leaves singed, houses burst.
1935 Emporia (Kansas) Gaz. 26 Nov. 7/5 Turkeys..come cheaper if one de-feathers the bird himself.
1956 Farm Economist 8 viii. 2 The specialized processor kills, scalds, and defeathers but leaves head, feet, and entrails intact.
1979 Texas Monthly Feb. 129/2 Our one close tornado..defeathered and destroyed some game bantams, made a great deal of noise, but somehow missed the house.
2002 E. A. Gargan River's Tale ix. 284 Phuong lopped off the chicken's head, defeathered the bird and sectioned it faster than your hometown butcher.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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