cock-feather

Noun

cock-feather (plural cock-feathers)

1. Feather on an arrow.
   • Now place the Arrow on the string with the cock-feather uppermost, that is to say, the further side from the Bow, and the other two will slide over it, without being rumpled or discomposed, but place the cock-feather downwards, or next the Bow and the feather will go directly upon it, which not...1820, Thomas Waring, A Treatise on Archery, page 28
   • Take hold of your arrow by the middle, and place it under the string and over the bow, against which you hold it, by throwing the forefinger of your left hand over the pile or head of the arrow; then drawing your right hand back to its other end, or nock, as it is called, you look for the...1860, Charles Cowden Clarke, Mary Cowden Clarke, "Many Happy Returns of the Day!": A Birth-day Book, page 121
2. Tailfeather of a cock.
   • Upon the head was placed the red cardinal's hat, adorned with a cock-feather, its cords and tassels iron chains hanging to the ground, while through the brim a pair of buck-horns extended their curved points.1866 Novembr, “Hugo Van Geest: A Tale of the Netherlands”, in Hours at Home: a Popular Monthly of Instruction and Recreation, volume 4, number 1, page 59
   • The town was divided into two factions, one of which relied for support upon Switzerland, the other upon Savoy. The Eidgenossen wore in their hats a cock-feather, in the Swiss fashion; the Mamelukes, like the Savoyards, a sprig of holly.1877, Charles Lowe, Henry Wilder Foote, John Hopkins Morison, The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine - Volume 8, page 48