QUAILS
Noun
quails
plural of quail
Verb
quails
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of quail
Anagrams
• squail
Source: Wiktionary
QUAIL
Quail, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qualled; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualling.] Etym:
[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, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Quell.]
Definition: To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to
subdue. [Obs.] Spenser.
Quail, v. i. Etym: [OF. coaillier, F. cailler, from L. coagulare. See
Coagulate.]
Definition: To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. [Obs.] Holland.
Quail, n. Etym: [OF. quaille, F. caille, LL. quaquila, qualia,
qualea, of Dutch or German origin; cf. D. kwakkel, kwartel, OHG.
wahtala, G. wachtel.]
1. (Zoƶl.)
Definition: 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. (Zoƶl.)
Definition: 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. (Zoƶl.)
Definition: 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 (Zoƶl.), 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 (Zoƶl.), 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 (Zoƶl.), any one of several American ground pigeons
belonging to Geotrygon and allied genera.
– Quail hawk (Zoƶl.), the New Zealand sparrow hawk (Hieracidea
NovƦ-HollandiƦ).
– Quail pipe. See Quail call, above.
– Quail snipe (Zoƶl.), the dowitcher, or red-breasted snipe; --
called also robin snipe, and brown snipe.
– Sea quail (Zoƶl.), the turnstone. [Local, U. S.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition