a French word adapted from Ital. pennachio, Lat. penna, feather, for a plume of feathers on a helmet or hat; the "panache" should be properly distinguished from the "plume," as being a large cluster of feathers fixed on the top of the helmet and flowing over it, the "plume" being a single feather at the side or front. The word "panache" is often.used figuratively in French of a flamboyant piece of ornamentation, a "purple patch" in literature, or any exaggerated form of decoration.