aftershaft

US: (af′tər shaft′, äf′tər shäft′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

af•ter•shaft  (af′tər shaft′, äf′tər shäft′), n. [Ornith.]

1. Birds a supplementary feather, usually small, arising from the underside of the base of the shafts of certain feathers in many birds.
2. Birds the shaft of such a feather.

• after + shaft 1865–70

af′ter•shaft′ed, adj.