Down Jacket: Meaning, Examples & Usage Tips

Meaning 1：warm feather-filled jacket (Down Jacket)

Down Jacket 🔊

/daʊn ˈdʒækɪt/

A warm jacket filled with the soft, light feathers from ducks or geese, perfect for cold weather.

Person smiling in blue down jacket snowy park winter

warm feather-filled jacket 🔊

➕

/wɔːrm ˈfeðər-fɪld ˈdʒækɪt/

A warm jacket filled with the soft, light feathers from ducks or geese, perfect for cold weather.

📁 Category：Fashion Trends 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Down (from Old Norse 'dúna', meaning soft feathers) + Jacket (from French 'jaquette', a short coat).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a duck fluffing its soft downy feathers, then zipping them into a jacket to keep you warm.

📖 Example

Before our ski trip, she packed her new lightweight down jacket because it folds up small in her backpack. 🔊 Before our ski trip, she packed her new lightweight down jacket because it folds up small in her backpack.

🔗 Collocations

wear a down jacket – To put on and use a down jacket for warmth.

lightweight down jacket – A down jacket that is easy to carry and not heavy.

packable down jacket – A down jacket that can be compressed into a small pouch for travel.

🔄 Synonyms

puffer jacket (n.) – A puffy jacket filled with synthetic or down insulation, often with a quilted appearance.

padded jacket (n.) – A jacket with thick padding for warmth, often made of synthetic materials.

duvet coat (n.) – A very warm, thick coat resembling a duvet, often filled with down.

🚫 Antonyms

rain jacket (n.) – A lightweight waterproof jacket designed to repel rain, not for insulation.

windbreaker (n.) – A thin jacket that protects against wind but provides little warmth.

vest (n.) – A sleeveless garment, often not insulated, worn over other clothing.

🌱 Derivatives

down-filled (adj.) – Containing or stuffed with down feathers.

downproof (adj.) – Resistant to the escape of down feathers through the fabric.

downy (adj.) – Covered with soft, fine feathers or hair; resembling down.

📖 Cultural Story

Down jackets became popular in the 1930s after Eddie Bauer designed the first quilted down coat for warmth. The 'down' refers to the fine, fluffy underfeathers of waterfowl, which trap air for insulation.