Collins English-English Dictionary

tail [teɪl]

1. 1. n the region of the vertebrate body that is posterior to or above the anus and contains an elongation of the vertebral column, esp forming a flexible movable appendage

2. 2. n [angling] tailfly the lowest fly on a wet-fly cast

3. 3. n anything resembling such an appendage in form or position; the bottom, lowest, or rear part

   the tail of a shirt

4. 4. n the last part or parts

   the tail of the storm

5. 5. n the rear part of an aircraft including the fin, tail plane, and control surfaces; empennage

6. 6. n [astronomy] the luminous stream of gas and dust particles, up to 200 million kilometres long, driven from the head of a comet, when close to the sun, under the effect of the solar wind and light pressure

7. 7. n the rear portion of a bomb, rocket, missile, etc, usually fitted with guiding or stabilizing vanes

8. 8. n a line of people or things

9. 9. n a long braid or tress of hair

   a ponytail

   a pigtail

10. 10. n a final short line in a stanza

11. 11. n [informal] a person employed to follow and spy upon another or others

12. 12. n an informal word for buttocks

13. 13. n [taboo slang] the female genitals

14. 14. n a woman considered sexually (esp in the phrases piece of tail, bit of tail)

15. 15. n [printing] the margin at the foot of a page

16. 16. n the bottom edge of a book

17. 17. n the lower end of a pool or part of a stream

18. 18. n [informal] the course or track of a fleeing person or animal

    the police are on my tail

19. 19. n [modifier] coming from or situated in the rear

    a tail wind

20. 20. vb to form or cause to form the tail

21. 21. vb to remove the tail of (an animal); dock

22. 22. vt. [tr] to remove the stalk of

    to top and tail the gooseberries

23. 23. vt. [tr] to connect (objects, ideas, etc) together by or as if by the tail

24. 24. vt. [tr] [informal] to follow stealthily

25. 25. vt. [tr] [Austral] to tend (cattle) on foot

26. 26. vi. [intr] (of a vessel) to assume a specified position, as when at a mooring

27. 27. vi. to build the end of (a brick, joist, etc) into a wall or (of a brick, etc) to have one end built into a wall

28. 28. vi. See also tail off tail out tails

29. 29. vi. [Etymology] Old English tægel; related to Old Norse tagl horse's tail, Gothic tagl hair, Old High German zagal tail

tail [teɪl]

1. 1. n [property law] the limitation of an estate or interest to a person and the heirs of his body - See also entail

2. 2. adj [immediately postpositive] (of an estate or interest) limited in this way

3. 3. adj [Etymology] C15: from Old French taille a division; see tailor, tally