9  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  n. 
  1.  pl  (Rope  Making)  In  some  forms  of  rope-laying  machine, 
  pieces  of  rope  attached  to  the  iron  bar  passing  through 
  the  grooven  wooden  top  containing  the  strands,  for 
  wrapping  around  the  rope  to  be  laid. 
 
  2.  pl  A  tailed  coat;  a  tail  coat.  [Colloq.  or  Dial.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  n.  (A["e]ronautics) 
  In  flying  machines,  a  plane  or  group  of  planes  used  at  the 
  rear  to  confer  stability. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  n.  [AS.  t[ae]gel,  t[ae]gl;  akin  to  G.  zagel,  Icel. 
  tagl,  Sw  tagel,  Goth.  tagl  hair.  [root]59.] 
  1.  (Zo["o]l.)  The  terminal,  and  usually  flexible,  posterior 
  appendage  of  an  animal. 
 
  Note:  The  tail  of  mammals  and  reptiles  contains  a  series  of 
  movable  vertebr[ae],  and  is  covered  with  flesh  and 
  hairs  or  scales  like  those  of  other  parts  of  the  body. 
  The  tail  of  existing  birds  consists  of  several  more  or 
  less  consolidated  vertebr[ae]  which  supports  a  fanlike 
  group  of  quills  to  which  the  term  tail  is  more 
  particularly  applied.  The  tail  of  fishes  consists  of 
  the  tapering  hind  portion  of  the  body  ending  in  a 
  caudal  fin.  The  term  tail  is  sometimes  applied  to  the 
  entire  abdomen  of  a  crustacean  or  insect,  and  sometimes 
  to  the  terminal  piece  or  pygidium  alone. 
 
  2.  Any  long,  flexible  terminal  appendage;  whatever  resembles, 
  in  shape  or  position,  the  tail  of  an  animal,  as  a  catkin. 
 
  Doretus  writes  a  great  praise  of  the  distilled 
  waters  of  those  tails  that  hang  on  willow  trees. 
  --Harvey. 
 
  3.  Hence  the  back  last  lower,  or  inferior  part  of 
  anything  --  as  opposed  to  the  {head},  or  the  superior 
  part 
 
  The  Lord  will  make  thee  the  head,  and  not  the  tail. 
  --Deut. 
  xxviii.  13. 
 
  4.  A  train  or  company  of  attendants;  a  retinue. 
 
  ``Ah,''  said  he  ``if  you  saw  but  the  chief  with  his 
  tail  on.''  --Sir  W. 
  Scott. 
 
  5.  The  side  of  a  coin  opposite  to  that  which  bears  the  head, 
  effigy,  or  date;  the  reverse;  --  rarely  used  except  in  the 
  expression  ``heads  or  tails,''  employed  when  a  coin  is 
  thrown  up  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  some  point  by  its 
  fall. 
 
  6.  (Anat.)  The  distal  tendon  of  a  muscle. 
 
  7.  (Bot.)  A  downy  or  feathery  appendage  to  certain  achenes. 
  It  is  formed  of  the  permanent  elongated  style. 
 
  8.  (Surg.) 
  a  A  portion  of  an  incision,  at  its  beginning  or  end 
  which  does  not  go  through  the  whole  thickness  of  the 
  skin,  and  is  more  painful  than  a  complete  incision;  -- 
  called  also  {tailing}. 
  b  One  of  the  strips  at  the  end  of  a  bandage  formed  by 
  splitting  the  bandage  one  or  more  times. 
 
  9.  (Naut.)  A  rope  spliced  to  the  strap  of  a  block,  by  which 
  it  may  be  lashed  to  anything 
 
  10.  (Mus.)  The  part  of  a  note  which  runs  perpendicularly 
  upward  or  downward  from  the  head;  the  stem.  --Moore 
  (Encyc.  of  Music). 
 
  11.  pl  Same  as  {Tailing},  4. 
 
  12.  (Arch.)  The  bottom  or  lower  portion  of  a  member  or  part 
  as  a  slate  or  tile. 
 
  13.  pl  (Mining)  See  {Tailing},  n.,  5. 
 
  {Tail  beam}.  (Arch.)  Same  as  {Tailpiece}. 
 
  {Tail  coverts}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  feathers  which  cover  the  bases 
  of  the  tail  quills.  They  are  sometimes  much  longer  than 
  the  quills,  and  form  elegant  plumes.  Those  above  the 
  quills  are  called  the  {upper  tail  coverts},  and  those 
  below,  the  {under  tail  coverts}. 
 
  {Tail  end},  the  latter  end  the  termination;  as  the  tail  end 
  of  a  contest.  [Colloq.] 
 
  {Tail  joist}.  (Arch.)  Same  as  {Tailpiece}. 
 
  {Tail  of  a  comet}  (Astron.),  a  luminous  train  extending  from 
  the  nucleus  or  body,  often  to  a  great  distance,  and 
  usually  in  a  direction  opposite  to  the  sun. 
 
  {Tail  of  a  gale}  (Naut.),  the  latter  part  of  it  when  the 
  wind  has  greatly  abated.  --Totten. 
 
  {Tail  of  a  lock}  (on  a  canal),  the  lower  end  or  entrance 
  into  the  lower  pond. 
 
  {Tail  of  the  trenches}  (Fort.),  the  post  where  the  besiegers 
  begin  to  break  ground,  and  cover  themselves  from  the  fire 
  of  the  place  in  advancing  the  lines  of  approach. 
 
  {Tail  spindle},  the  spindle  of  the  tailstock  of  a  turning 
  lathe;  --  called  also  {dead  spindle}. 
 
  {To  turn  tail},  to  run  away  to  flee. 
 
  Would  she  turn  tail  to  the  heron,  and  fly  quite  out 
  another  way  but  all  was  to  return  in  a  higher 
  pitch.  --Sir  P. 
  Sidney. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  n.  [F.  taille  a  cutting.  See  {Entail},  {Tally}.] 
  (Law) 
  Limitation;  abridgment.  --Burrill. 
 
  {Estate  in  tail},  a  limited,  abridged,  or  reduced  fee;  an 
  estate  limited  to  certain  heirs,  and  from  which  the  other 
  heirs  are  precluded;  --  called  also  {estate  tail}. 
  --Blackstone. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  a.  (Law) 
  Limited;  abridged;  reduced;  curtailed;  as  estate  tail. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  v.  t. 
  1.  To  follow  or  hang  to  like  a  tail;  to  be  attached  closely 
  to  as  that  which  can  not  be  evaded.  [Obs.] 
 
  Nevertheless  his  bond  of  two  thousand  pounds, 
  wherewith  he  was  tailed,  continued  uncanceled  and 
  was  called  on  the  next  Parliament.  --Fuller. 
 
  2.  To  pull  or  draw  by  the  tail.  [R.]  --Hudibras. 
 
  {To  tail  in}  or  {on}  (Arch.),  to  fasten  by  one  of  the  ends 
  into  a  wall  or  some  other  support;  as  to  tail  in  a 
  timber. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tail  \Tail\,  v.  i. 
  1.  (Arch.)  To  hold  by  the  end  --  said  of  a  timber  when  it 
  rests  upon  a  wall  or  other  support;  --  with  in  or  into 
 
  2.  (Naut.)  To  swing  with  the  stern  in  a  certain  direction;  -- 
  said  of  a  vessel  at  anchor;  as  this  vessel  tails  down 
  stream. 
 
  {Tail  on}.  (Naut.)  See  {Tally  on},  under  {Tally}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  tail 
  adj  :  (aeronautical)  pertaining  to  the  tail  section  of  a  plane 
  [syn:  {tail(a)}] 
  n  1:  the  posterior  part  of  the  body  of  a  vertebrate  especially 
  when  elongated  and  extending  beyond  the  trunk  or  main 
  part  of  the  body 
  2:  the  time  of  the  last  part  of  something  "the  fag  end  of  this 
  crisis-ridden  century";  "the  tail  of  the  storm"  [syn:  {fag 
  end},  {tail  end}] 
  3:  any  projection  that  resembles  the  tail  of  an  animal  [syn:  {tail 
  end}] 
  4:  the  fleshy  part  of  the  human  body  that  you  sit  on  [syn:  {buttocks}, 
  {arse},  {butt},  {backside},  {bum},  {buns},  {can},  {fundament}, 
  {hindquarters},  {hind  end},  {keister},  {posterior},  {prat}, 
  {rear},  {rear  end},  {rump},  {stern},  {seat},  {tail  end}, 
  {tooshie},  {tush},  {bottom},  {behind},  {derriere},  {fanny}, 
  {ass}] 
  5:  a  detective  employed  to  follow  someone  and  report  their 
  movements  [syn:  {shadow}] 
  6:  the  reverse  side  that  does  not  bear  the  representation  of  a 
  person's  head 
  7:  the  rear  part  of  an  aircraft  [syn:  {tail  assembly},  {empennage}] 
  8:  the  rear  part  of  a  ship  [syn:  {stern},  {after  part},  {quarter}, 
  {poop}] 
  v  1:  go  after  with  the  intent  to  catch  [syn:  {chase},  {chase 
  after},  {trail},  {tag},  {dog},  {go  after},  {track}] 
  2:  remove  or  shorten  the  tail  of  an  animal  [syn:  {dock},  {bob}] 
  3:  remove  the  stalk  of  fruits  or  berries 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  TAIL,  n.  The  part  of  an  animal's  spine  that  has  transcended  its 
  natural  limitations  to  set  up  an  independent  existence  in  a  world  of 
  its  own  Excepting  in  its  foetal  state,  Man  is  without  a  tail,  a 
  privation  of  which  he  attests  an  hereditary  and  uneasy  consciousness 
  by  the  coat-skirt  of  the  male  and  the  train  of  the  female,  and  by  a 
  marked  tendency  to  ornament  that  part  of  his  attire  where  the  tail 
  should  be  and  indubitably  once  was  This  tendency  is  most  observable 
  in  the  female  of  the  species,  in  whom  the  ancestral  sense  is  strong 
  and  persistent.  The  tailed  men  described  by  Lord  Monboddo  are  now 
  generally  regarded  as  a  product  of  an  imagination  unusually 
  susceptible  to  influences  generated  in  the  golden  age  of  our  pithecan 
  past. 
 
 

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