Function: noun
Etymology: from the superstition that a white feather in the plumage of a gamecock is a mark of a poor fighter
Date: circa 1785
: a mark or symbol of cowardice ― used chiefly in the phrase show the white feather
Function: noun
Etymology: from the superstition that a white feather in the plumage of a gamecock is a mark of a poor fighter
Date: circa 1785
: a mark or symbol of cowardice ― used chiefly in the phrase show the white feather
Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary. Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка. 2012