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Plume vs Prune - What's the difference?

plume | prune |

In transitive terms the difference between plume and prune

is that plume is to congratulate (oneself) proudly while prune is to remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive.

plume

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one.
  • * Milton
    • wings of many a coloured plume
  • The furry tail of certain dog breeds (e.g. Samoyed, Malteagle) that stands erect or curls over their backs.
  • A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet.
  • * Dryden
    • his high plume , that nodded o'er his head
  • A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward.
  • * Milton
    • ambitious to win from me some plume
  • An upward spray of water or mist.
  • (geology) An upwelling of molten material from the Earth's mantle.
  • (astronomy) An arc of glowing material erupting from the surface of a star.
  • A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.

    • Derived terms

    * plume grass * plume moth * plume nutmeg

    Verb

    (plum)
  • To preen and arrange the feathers of.
  • * Washington Irving
    • pluming her wings among the breezy bowers
  • To congratulate (oneself) proudly.
    • He plumes himself on his skill.
    (South)
  • To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel.
    • (Francis Bacon)
    (Dryden)
  • To adorn with feathers or plumes.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Farewell the plumed troop.
  • To form a plume.
    • Smoke plumed from his pipe then slowly settled towards the floor.
  • To write; to pen.
  • *
    • We mention this observation, not with any view of pretending to account for so odd a behaviour, but lest some critic should hereafter plume himself on discovering it.

    prune

    English

    (wikipedia prune)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) prune, from (etyl) , a loanword from a language of Asia Minor.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A plum.
  • The dried, wrinkled fruit of certain species of plum.
  • (slang) An old woman, especially a wrinkly one.
    • Synonyms
    * see
    Derived terms
    * German prune * prune tree * pruney * South African prune

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) 'to round-off the front'.

    Verb

    (prun)
  • To remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive.
    • A good grape grower will prune his vines once a year.
  • * Milton
    • Our delightful task / To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers.
  • (figuratively) To cut down or shorten (by the removal of unnecessary material).
    • to prune a budget, or an essay
  • * Francis Bacon
    • taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed
  • (obsolete) To preen; to prepare; to dress.
  • * Shakespeare
    • His royal bird / Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak.
    (Dryden)
    (Spenser)
    Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Anagrams

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