aigrettes

Noun

aigrette (plural aigrettes)

1. A feather or plume, or feather-shaped item, used as an adornment or ornament, typically in hats or hair.
   • This bauble, said he, shewing me an elegant sprig of diamonds, is an aigret, sent in last week by a lady of quality, who has ever since kept home with her head muffled up in a double clout for a pretended fit of the tooth-ache.1756, George Colman, The Connoisseur, volume 2, London: R. Baldwin, page 706
2. The lesser white heron.
   • Birds of many kinds skimmed the weedy flats. George pointed out a flock of aigrets, the beautiful wild fowl with the priceless plumes.1912, Zane Grey, chapter 3, in Ken Ward in the Jungle, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, page 31

   Synonyms:

   egret

3. The feathery crown of some seeds (such as the dandelion).