very soft fine feathers that cover young birds or lie beneath the tougher outer feathers of adult birds
A layer of down keeps ducklings warm in cold water.
My winter jacket is filled with goose down.
✦ From Old Norse dúnn "down, feather"; related to German Daune.
to make someone or something fall to the ground; to knock over
The boxer downed his opponent with a powerful left hook.
A sudden gust of wind downed several trees along the road.
to have something as your property
They own a small bakery in the town center.
Do you own any pets?
✦ Old English āgan meant “to possess,” which developed into Middle English owen and finally modern own, keeping the sense of possession.
to completely defeat, outshine, or embarrass someone
Our basketball team totally owned the game last night.
The programmer owned the hacker by closing the security hole.
✦ This sense arose in the late 1990s in hacker and gaming culture, extending the idea of owning property to dominating an opponent.
to admit or acknowledge that something is true
He owns that he was mistaken.
I must own I was surprised by the result.
✦ Derived from the Old English verb āgnian “to possess,” the sense of acknowledging a fact emerged in Middle English and remained common until the 19th century.
the main business, shopping, and entertainment part of a city, usually near its center
On Saturday, we took the train to downtown for brunch.
The city's downtown is filled with historic theaters and cafes.
✦ Formed in 19th-century American English from down + town, originally referring to the lower part of Manhattan where business took place.
the highest part or top of something, especially a tree, hill, or a person’s head
Snow sparkled on the crown of the distant mountain.
Birds nested high in the leafy crown of the oak tree.
✦ Metaphorical extension of the headwear sense, dating from the late Middle Ages.
