Plumule
/ˈpluːmjuːl/noun
A small feather or the young shoot of a plant embryo that develops into the stem and leaves.
Did you know?The botanical sense reflects a powerful visual metaphor: the plumule is the embryo’s first upward-reaching shoot, emerging toward light like a feathered symbol of growth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleus-
“To pluck or produce loose fibers, a proposed root associated with feathers and fleece”
Classical Latin
Latin
plūma
“A feather, down, or soft featherlike covering”
Classical Latin
Latin
plūmula
“A little feather; the diminutive of plūma”
Medieval Latin
Latin
plumula
“A small feather and, in botanical description, a featherlike young shoot”
17th Century
English
plumule
“A small feather or the first shoot of a seedling”
Modern English
English
plumule
“The embryonic shoot of a plant, or a small feather”
Explore more surprising origins