Quail Definition

kwāl

quailed, quails

noun

quails

Any of various primarily ground-dwelling birds of the genus Coturnix, especially C. coturnix, small in size and having mottled brown plumage and a short tail.

American Heritage

Any of a number of small, short-tailed gallinaceous birds (family Phasianidae), including the bobwhite.

Webster's New World

verb

quailed, quails

To draw back in fear; lose heart or courage; cower.

Webster's New World

(intransitive) To waste away; to fade, wither. [from 15th c.]

Wiktionary

(now rare) To frighten, daunt (someone). [from 16th c.]

Wiktionary

(intransitive) To slacken, give way (of courage, faith etc.). [from 16th c.]

Wiktionary

To curdle; to coagulate, as milk does.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
meet
face

pronoun

A surname.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Quail

Noun

Singular:

quail

Plural:

quails

Origin of Quail

From Middle English quaille, quaile, from Anglo-Norman quaille, from Old Dutch *kwakila (compare West Flemish kwakkel), blend of *kwak "˜quack' and Proto-Germanic *hwahtilō "˜quail' (compare dialectal Dutch wachtel, German Wachtel), from a diminutive of Proto-Indo-European *kÊ·oḱt- "˜quail' (compare Latin coturnÄ«x, cocturnÄ«x, Lithuanian vaÅ¡taka, Sanskrit चातक (cātaka) "˜pied cuckoo'), metathesis of *u̯ortokÊ·- "˜quail' (compare Dutch kwartel, Greek ορτύκι (ortýki), Persian ورتیج (vartij'), Sanskrit वर्तका (vartaka)).

From Wiktionary
Middle English quailen to give way probably from Middle Dutch quelen to suffer, be ill gwelə- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English quaille from Old French perhaps from Vulgar Latin coacula of imitative origin

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Old French coaillier, French cailler, from Latin coagulare. See coagulate.

From Wiktionary
From a Manx form of McPhail. Also an English nickname from the quail bird.

From Wiktionary
Origin uncertain; perhaps related to Middle Dutch queilen.

From Wiktionary