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quail
1
[kweyl] 
–noun, plural quails, (especially collectively
) quail.
) quail. | 1. | a small, migratory, gallinaceous game bird, Coturnix coturnix, of the Old World. |
| 2. | any of several other birds of the genus Coturnix and allied genera. |
| 3. | any of various New World gallinaceous game birds of the genus Colinus and allied genera, esp. the bobwhite. |
| 4. | Slang. a woman or girl. |
Related forms:
quaillike, adjective
quail
2 [kweyl] –verb (used without object)
| to lose heart or courage in difficulty or danger; shrink with fear. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To Quail
| quail 1 (kwāl) n. pl. quail or quails
[Middle English quaille, from Old French, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *coacula, of imitative origin.] |
| quail 2 (kwāl) intr.v. quailed, quail·ing, quails To shrink back in fear; cower. [Middle English quailen, to give way, probably from Middle Dutch quelen, to suffer, be ill; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Quail
Quail\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qualled; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualling.] [AS. cwelan to die, perish; akin to cwalu violent death, D. kwaal pain, G. qual torment, OHG. quelan to suffer torment, Lith. gelti to hurt, gela pain. Cf. Quell.]1. To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade. [Obs.] --Spenser. 2. To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower. The atheist power shall quail, and confess his fears. I. Taylor. Stouter hearts than a woman's have quailed in this terrible winter. --Longfellow. Syn: to cower; flinch; shrink; quake; tremble; blench; succumb; yield.Quail
Quail\, v. t. [Cf. Quell.] To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue. [Obs.] --Spenser.Quail
Quail\, v. i. [OF. coaillier, F. cailler, from L. coagulare. See Coagulate.] To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. [Obs.] --Holland.Quail
Quail\, n. [OF. quaille, F. caille, LL. quaquila, qualia, qualea, of Dutch or German origin; cf. D. kwakkel, kwartel, OHG. wahtala, G. wachtel.]1. (Zo["o]l.) Any gallinaceous bird belonging to Coturnix and several allied genera of the Old World, especially the common European quail (C. communis), the rain quail (C. Coromandelica) of India, the stubble quail (C. pectoralis), and the Australian swamp quail (Synoicus australis). 2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several American partridges belonging to Colinus, Callipepla, and allied genera, especially the bobwhite (called Virginia quail, and Maryland quail), and the California quail (Calipepla Californica). 3. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of Turnix and allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian painted quail (Turnix varius). See Turnix. 4. A prostitute; -- so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird.[Obs.] --Shak. Bustard quail (Zo["o]l.), a small Asiatic quail-like bird of the genus Turnix, as T. taigoor, a black-breasted species, and the hill bustard quail (T. ocellatus). See Turnix. Button quail (Zo["o]l.), one of several small Asiatic species of Turnix, as T. Sykesii, which is said to be the smallest game bird of India. Mountain quail. See under Mountain. Quail call, a call or pipe for alluring quails into a net or within range. Quail dove (Zo["o]l.), any one of several American ground pigeons belonging to Geotrygon and allied genera. Quail hawk (Zo["o]l.), the New Zealand sparrow hawk (Hieracidea Nov[ae]-Hollandi[ae]). Quail pipe. See Quail call, above. Quail snipe (Zo["o]l.), the dowitcher, or red-breasted snipe; -- called also robin snipe, and brown snipe. Sea quail (Zo["o]l.), the turnstone. [Local, U. S.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Quail
Spanish:
acobardarse, amedrentarse,
German:
verzagen,
Japanese:
ひるむ
quail (n.)
c.1300, quayle, from O.Fr. quaille, perhaps via M.L. quaccula (cf. Prov. calha, It. quaglia, O.Sp. coalla), from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. quahtala "quail," Ger. Wachtel), imitative of the bird's cry. Or the Eng. word may be directly from Gmc. Slang meaning "young attractive woman" first recorded 1859.
quail (v.)
"to lose heart, to shrink," c.1440, of unknown origin, perhaps from M.Du. quelen "to suffer, be ill," from P.Gmc. *kwel- "to die" (see quell). Or from obsolete quail "to curdle" (1398), from O.Fr. coailler, from L. coagulare (see coagulate). Sense of "cower" is attested from 1555. Common 1520-1650, then rare until 19c.; apparently revived by Scott.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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