cock-feathers

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
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