Aigrette

Aigrette is the French name of the bird known in England as Egret (q.v.), the lesser white heron. Hence the term came to be used for its feathery crest, for feathers in a lady's head-dress, and more loosely for any head-dress like a plume, a bouquet of flowers, or an ornament of precious stones. Botanically, it is equal to Pappus (q.v.), down of a seed, like thistle down.