Moun·tain a.
 1. Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains; among mountains; as, a mountain torrent; mountain pines; mountain goats; mountain air; mountain howitzer.
 2. Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great.
    The high, the mountain majesty of worth.   --Byron.
 Mountain antelope Zool., the goral.
 Mountain ash Bot., an ornamental tree, the Pyrus Americana (or Sorbus Americana), producing beautiful bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European species is the Pyrus aucuparia, or rowan tree.
 Mountain barometer, a portable barometer, adapted for safe transportation, used in measuring the heights of mountains.
 Mountain beaver Zool., the sewellel.
 Mountain blue Min., blue carbonate of copper; azurite.
 Mountain cat Zool., the catamount. See Catamount.
 Mountain chain, a series of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves.
 Mountain cock Zool., capercailzie. See Capercailzie.
 Mountain cork Min., a variety of asbestus, resembling cork in its texture.
 Mountain crystal. See under Crystal.
 Mountain damson Bot., a large tree of the genus Simaruba (Simaruba amarga) growing in the West Indies, which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes used in medicine.
 Mountain dew, Scotch whisky, so called because often illicitly distilled among the mountains. [Humorous]
 Mountain ebony Bot., a small leguminous tree (Bauhinia variegata) of the East and West Indies; -- so called because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and in tanning.
 Mountain flax Min., a variety of asbestus, having very fine fibers; amianthus. See Amianthus.
 Mountain fringe Bot., climbing fumitory. See under Fumitory.
 Mountain goat. Zool. See Mazama.
 Mountain green. Min. (a) Green malachite, or carbonate of copper. (b) See Green earth, under Green, a.
 Mountain holly Bot., a branching shrub (Nemopanthes Canadensis), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries.  It is found in the Northern United States.
 Mountain laurel Bot., an American shrub (Kalmia latifolia) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy clusters of rose-colored or white flowers.  The foliage is poisonous.  Called also American laurel, ivy bush, and calico bush.  See Kalmia.
 Mountain leather Min., a variety of asbestus, resembling leather in its texture.
 Mountain licorice Bot., a plant of the genus Trifolium (Trifolium Alpinum).
 Mountain limestone Geol., a series of marine limestone strata below the coal measures, and above the old red standstone of Great Britain.  See Chart of Geology.
 Mountain linnet Zool., the twite.
 Mountain magpie. Zool. (a) The yaffle, or green woodpecker. (b) The European gray shrike.
 Mountain mahogany Bot. See under Mahogany.
 Mountain meal Min., a light powdery variety of calcite, occurring as an efflorescence.
 Mountain milk Min., a soft spongy variety of carbonate of lime.
 Mountain mint. Bot. See Mint.
 Mountain ousel Zool., the ring ousel; -- called also mountain thrush and mountain colley.  See Ousel.
 Mountain pride, or Mountain green Bot., a tree of Jamaica (Spathelia simplex), which has an unbranched palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate leaves.
 Mountain quail Zool., the plumed partridge (Oreortyx pictus) of California.  It has two long, slender, plumelike feathers on the head.  The throat and sides are chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black and white; the neck and breast are dark gray.
 Mountain range, a series of mountains closely related in position and direction.
 Mountain rice. Bot. (a) An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation, in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States. (b) An American genus of grasses (Oryzopsis).
 Mountain rose Bot., a species of rose with solitary flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe (Rosa alpina).
 Mountain soap Min., a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish color, used in crayon painting; saxonite.
 Mountain sorrel Bot., a low perennial plant (Oxyria digyna with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. --Gray.
 Mountain sparrow Zool., the European tree sparrow.
 Mountain spinach. Bot. See Orach.
 Mountain tobacco Bot., a composite plant (Arnica montana) of Europe; called also leopard's bane.
 Mountain witch Zool., a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the genus Geotrygon.
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 Par·tridge n.  Zool.
 1. Any one of numerous species of small gallinaceous birds of the genus Perdix and several related genera of the family Perdicidæ, of the Old World.  The partridge is noted as a game bird.
    Full many a fat partrich had he in mew.   --Chaucer.
 Note: ☞ The common European, or gray, partridge (Perdix cinerea) and the red-legged partridge (Caccabis rubra) of Southern Europe and Asia are well-known species.
 2. Any one of several species of quail-like birds belonging to Colinus, and allied genera. [U.S.]
 Note: ☞ Among them are the bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus) of the Eastern States; the plumed, or mountain, partridge (Oreortyx pictus) of California; the Massena partridge (Cyrtonyx Montezumæ); and the California partridge (Callipepla Californica).
 3. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). [New Eng.]
 Bamboo partridge Zool., a spurred partridge of the genus Bambusicola.  Several species are found in China and the East Indies.
 Night partridge Zool., the woodcock. [Local, U.S.]
 Painted partridge Zool., a francolin of South Africa (Francolinus pictus).
 Partridge berry. Bot. (a) The scarlet berry of a trailing american plant (Mitchella repens) of the order Rubiaceæ, having roundish evergreen leaves, and white fragrant flowers sometimes tinged with purple, growing in pairs with the ovaries united, and producing the berries which remain over winter; also, the plant itself. (b) The fruit of the creeping wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens); also, the plant itself.
 Partridge dove Zool. Same as Mountain witch, under Mountain.
 Partridge pea Bot., a yellow-flowered leguminous herb (Cassia Chamæcrista), common in sandy fields in the Eastern United States.
 Partridge shell Zool., a large marine univalve shell (Dolium perdix), having colors variegated like those of the partridge.
 Partridge wood (a) A variegated wood, much esteemed for cabinetwork.  It is obtained from tropical America, and one source of it is said to be the leguminous tree Andira inermis.  Called also pheasant wood. (b) A name sometimes given to the dark-colored and striated wood of some kind of palm, which is used for walking sticks and umbrella handles.
 Sea partridge Zool., an Asiatic sand partridge (Ammoperdix Bonhami); -- so called from its note.
 Snow partridge Zool., a large spurred partridge (Lerwa nivicola) which inhabits the high mountains of Asia; called also jermoonal.
 Spruce partridge. See under Spruce.
 Wood partridge, or Hill partridge Zool., any small Asiatic partridge of the genus Arboricola.
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 Plume, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumed p. pr. & vb. n. Pluming.]
 1. To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink.
    Pluming her wings among the breezy bowers.   --W. Irving.
 2. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [Obs.]
 3. To adorn with feathers or plumes. “Farewell the plumed troop.”
 4. To pride; to vaunt; to boast; -- used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill.
 Plumed adder Zool., an African viper (Vipera cornuta, syn. Clotho cornuta), having a plumelike structure over each eye.  It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder.  Called also horned viper and hornsman.
 Plumed partridge Zool., the California mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus). See Mountain quail, under Mountain.
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