Hair vs. Feather — What's the Difference?

Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.

Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on dinosaurs, both avian (bird) and some non-avian (non-bird) and possibly other archosauromorphs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty.

Any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and some other animals

One of the light, flat structures growing from the skin of birds, consisting of numerous slender, closely arranged parallel barbs forming a vane on either side of a horny, tapering, partly hollow shaft.

Hairs collectively, especially those growing on a person's head

A feathery tuft or fringe of hair, as on the legs or tail of some dogs.

A very small quantity or extent

Character, kind, or nature

Any of the cylindrical, keratinized, often pigmented filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal.

A strip, wedge, or flange used as a strengthening part.

A growth of such filaments, as that forming the coat of an animal or covering the scalp of a human.

A wedge or key that fits into a groove to make a joint.

A filamentous projection or bristle similar to a hair, such as a seta of an arthropod or an epidermal process of a plant.

The vane of an arrow.

Fabric made from the hair of certain animals

A feather-shaped flaw, as in a precious stone.

A minute distance or narrow margin

The wake made by a submarine's periscope.

A precise or exact degree

The act of feathering the blade of an oar in rowing.

(countable) A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from a follicle on the skin of humans and other mammals.

To cover, dress, or decorate with feathers or featherlike projections.

(uncountable) The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole body.

To fit (an arrow) with a feather.

A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth.

To thin, reduce, or fringe the edge of (wood, for example) by cutting, shaving, or making thinner.

A cellular outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated.

To spread (paint, for example) thinly at the edges so as to blend with the surrounding area.

(countable) Any slender, flexible outgrowth, filament, or fiber growing or projecting from the surface of an object or organism.

To shorten and taper (hair) by cutting and thinning.

A locking spring or other safety device in the lock of a rifle, etc., capable of being released by a slight pressure on a hair-trigger.

To blur or soften the edge of (an image).

(obsolete) Haircloth; a hair shirt.

To apply (a brake, throttle, or other control) gently or slightly and steadily.

(countable) Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth.

To turn (an oar blade) almost horizontal as it is carried back after each stroke.

Complexity; difficulty; the quality of being hairy.

To alter the pitch of (a propeller) so that the chords of the blades are parallel with the line of flight.

(transitive) To remove the hair from.

To alter the pitch of (the rotor of a helicopter) while in forward flight.

(intransitive) To grow hair (where there was a bald spot).

To turn off (an aircraft engine) while in flight.

(transitive) To cause to have or bear hair; to provide with hair

To grow feathers or become feathered.

To string the bow for a violin.

To move, spread, or grow in a manner suggestive of feathers

The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole of the body.

To become thin or less dense at the edges

One the above-mentioned filaments, consisting, in vertebrate animals, of a long, tubular part which is free and flexible, and a bulbous root imbedded in the skin.

To feather an oar.

Hair (human or animal) used for various purposes; as, hair for stuffing cushions.

To feather a propeller.

A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth.

A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.

An outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated. Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily (Nuphar).

Long hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.

A spring device used in a hair-trigger firearm.

One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.

A haircloth.

A longitudinal strip projecting from an object to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sideways but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.

Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth.

Kind; nature; species (from the proverbial phrase "birds of a feather").

Dense growth of hairs covering the body or parts of it (as on the human head); helps prevent heat loss;

One of the two shims of the three-piece stone-splitting tool known as plug and feather or plug and feathers; the feathers are placed in a borehole and then a wedge is driven between them, causing the stone to split.

A very small distance or space;

The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.

Filamentous hairlike growth on a plant;

Anything petty or trifling; a whit or jot.

Any of the cylindrical filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal;

Partridges and pheasants, as opposed to rabbits and hares (called fur).

Cloth woven from horsehair or camelhair; used for upholstery or stiffening in garments

(rail) A junction indicator attached to a colour-light signal at an angle, which lights up, typically with four white lights in a row, when a diverging route is set up.

A filamentous projection or process on an organism

To cover or furnish with feathers; to fletch.

To adorn, as if with feathers; to fringe.

To arrange in the manner or appearance of feathers.

To rotate the oars while they are out of the water to reduce wind resistance.

(aeronautics) To streamline the blades of an aircraft's propeller by rotating them perpendicular to the axis of the propeller when the engine is shut down so that the propeller does not windmill during flight.

To finely shave or bevel an edge.

(computer graphics) To intergrade or blend the pixels of an image with those of a background or neighboring image.

(intransitive) Of written or printed ink: to take on a blurry appearance as a result of spreading through the receiving medium.

(transitive) To render light as a feather; to give wings to.

(transitive) To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.

(transitive) To tread, as a cockerel.

To move the cue back and forth along the bridge in preparation for striking the cue ball.

To accidentally touch the cue ball with the tip of the cue when taking aim.

(transitive) To touch lightly, like (or as if with) a feather.

(transitive) To move softly, like a feather.

One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds, belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down.

Kind; nature; species; - from the proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same species.

The fringe of long hair on the legs of the setter and some other dogs.

A tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on a horse.

One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.

A longitudinal strip projecting as a fin from an object, to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sidwise but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.

A thin wedge driven between the two semicylindrical parts of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone, to rend the stone.

The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.

To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap.

To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe.

To render light as a feather; to give wings to.

To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.

To tread, as a cock.

To grow or form feathers; to become feathered; - often with out; as, the birds are feathering out.

To curdle when poured into another liquid, and float about in little flakes or "feathers;" as, the cream feathers.

To turn to a horizontal plane; - said of oars.

To have the appearance of a feather or of feathers; to be or to appear in feathery form.

The light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

Turning an oar parallel to the water between pulls

Join tongue and groove, in carpentry

Cover or fit with feathers

Turn the paddle; in canoeing

Turn the oar, while rowing

Grow feathers;