Aigrette

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈeɪɡɹɪt/

Origin

From French aigrette ‘egret’.

Full definition of aigrette

Noun

1. The lesser white heron; the egret.
2. A feather or plume, or feather-shaped item, used as an adornment or ornament.
• 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, III.77:His turban, furled in many a graceful fold,
  An emerald aigrette, with Haidée's hair in't,
  Surmounted as its clasp ....
• 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 181:Young women attired often in nothing more than ostrich-feather aigrettes dyed in colors of doubtful taste ran nubilely up and down the marble staircases, chased by young men in razor-toed ball shoes of patent-leather.
3. The feathery crown of some seeds (such as the dandelion)
4. (obsolete) A plume or tuft for the head composed of feathers, or gems, etc.