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pluck (plŭk)
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v. plucked, pluck·ing, plucks
v.tr.
1. To remove or detach by grasping and pulling abruptly with the fingers; pick: pluck a flower; pluck feathers from a chicken.
2. To pull out the hair or feathers of: pluck a chicken.
3. To remove abruptly or forcibly: plucked their child from school in midterm.
4. To give an abrupt pull to; tug at: pluck a sleeve.
5. Music To sound (the strings of an instrument) by pulling and releasing them with the fingers or a plectrum.
v.intr.
To give an abrupt pull; tug.
n.
1. The act or an instance of plucking.
2. Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties; spirit.
3. The heart, liver, windpipe, and lungs of a slaughtered animal.
[Middle English plukken, from Old English pluccian, probably from Vulgar Latin *piluccāre, ultimately from Latin pilāre, from pilus, hair.]
plucker n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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