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Meaning of tail in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /teɪl/

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  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

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