TRAILING

trailing, tracking

(noun) the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Adjective

trailing (not comparable)

(rail transport, of points and crossovers) That converges in the direction of travel.

That which is attached and pulled behind.

Antonyms

• facing

• leading

Verb

trailing

present participle of trail

Noun

trailing (plural trailings)

Fabric or other material that trails.

Anagrams

• Tringali, antigirl, ringtail, trialing

Source: Wiktionary


Trail"ing,

Definition: a. & vb. n. from Trail. Trailing arbutus. (Bot.) See under Arbutus.

– Trailing spring, a spring fixed in the axle box of the trailing wheels of a locomotive engine, and so placed as to assist in deadening any shock which may occur. Weale.

– Trailing wheel, a hind wheel of a locomotive when it is not a driving wheel; also, one of the hind wheels of a carriage.

TRAIL

Trail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Trailing.] Etym: [OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L. traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace, v. t.]

1. To hunt by the track; to track. Halliwell.

2. To draw or drag, as along the ground. And hung his head, and trailed his legs along. Dryden. They shall not trail me through their streets Like a wild beast. Milton. Long behind he trails his pompous robe. Pope.

3. (Mil.)

Definition: To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle.

4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat. Longfellow.

5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon. [Prov. Eng.] I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance. C. Bronte.

Trail, v. i.

1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after. When his brother saw the red blood trail. Spenser.

2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.

Trail, n.

1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail. They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail. Cooper. How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! Shak.

2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains.

3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke. When lightning shoots in glittering trails along. Rowe.

4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. "A radiant trail of hair." Pope.

5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [Obs.]

6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [Obs.]

7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep. The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish. Baird.

8. (Mil.)

Definition: That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun.

9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. [Prov. Eng.] Trail boards (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead.

– Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat. Wright.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

19 December 2024

PRESIDIUM

(noun) a permanent executive committee in socialist countries that has all the powers of some larger legislative body and that acts for it when it is not in session


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