Emily Dickinson Lexicon

plume (-s), n. [OFr < L. plūma, small soft feather, down.]

1. Ostrich feather; ornament of long, beautiful feathers; sign of wealth; symbol of rank; mark of royal station.
2. Bunch of ostrich feathers carried in a funeral procession; [fig.] mourning clothes; sign of grief; symbol of heartache; token of suffering.