Meaning of tail in English

1. Pronunciation

   /teɪl/

   US accent

   How to pronounce tail in American English, in context ▾
   Use the controls below to browse different examples of pronunciation.

   UK accent

   How to pronounce tail in British English, in context ▾
   Use the controls below to browse different examples of pronunciation.

1. Verb

   tail

   Definitions

   1. go after with the intent to catch

   Examples

   • « The policeman chased the mugger down the alley »
   • « the dog chased the rabbit »
2. 2. remove or shorten the tail of an animal
3. 3. remove the stalk of fruits or berries

4. Noun

   tail

   Etymology

   Old English tæg(e)l, from a Germanic base meaning ‘hair, hairy tail’; related to Middle Low German tagel‘twisted whip, rope's end’. The early sense of the verb (early 16th century) was ‘fasten to the back of something’

   Definitions

   1. the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
5. 2. the time of the last part of something

   Examples

   • « the fag end of this crisis-ridden century »
   • « the tail of the storm »
6. 3. any projection that resembles the tail of an animal
7. 4. the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

   Examples

   • « he deserves a good kick in the butt »
   • « are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing? »
8. 5. a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements
9. 6. (usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head

   Antonyms

   • head
10. 7. the rear part of an aircraft
11. 8. the rear part of a ship