tail
From WikiWord, the free dictionary
/teɪl/
English
Definitions
noun
- The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.“Most primates have a tail and fangs.”
- An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails.
- The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.
- The feathers attached to the pygostyle of a bird.
verb
- To follow and observe surreptitiously.“Tail that car!”
- To hold by the end; said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; with in or into
- To swing with the stern in a certain direction; said of a vessel at anchor.“This vessel tails downstream.”
- To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded.
noun
- Limitation of inheritance to certain heirs.“in tail — subject to such a limitation”
adjective
- Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed.“estate tail”