Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [kweyl]
- /kweɪl/
- /kweɪl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [kweyl]
- /kweɪl/
Definitions of quail word
- noun plural quail a small, migratory, gallinaceous game bird, Coturnix coturnix, of the Old World. 1
- noun plural quail any of several other birds of the genus Coturnix and allied genera. 1
- noun plural quail any of various New World gallinaceous game birds of the genus Colinus and allied genera, especially the bobwhite. 1
- noun plural quail Slang. a woman or girl. 1
- verb without object quail to lose heart or courage in difficulty or danger; shrink with fear. 1
- noun quail A small, short- tailed Old World game bird resembling a small partridge, typically having brown camouflaged plumage. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of quail
First appearance:
before 1300 One of the 15% oldest English words
1300-50; Middle English quaille < Old French < Germanic; compare Dutch kwakkel quail, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German quackele; akin to quack1
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Quail
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
quail popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 83% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
quail usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for quail
verb quail
- quake — (of persons) to shake or tremble from cold, weakness, fear, anger, or the like: He spoke boldly even though his legs were quaking.
- tremble — to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver.
- quaver — to shake tremulously; quiver or tremble: He stood there quavering with fear.
- cower — If you cower, you bend forward and downwards because you are very frightened.
- flinch — to draw back or shrink, as from what is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.
noun quail
- sandpiper — any of numerous shore-inhabiting birds of the family Scolopacidae, related to the plovers, typically having a slender bill and a piping call.
- hen — the female of the domestic fowl.
- woodcock — either of two plump, short-legged migratory game birds of variegated brown plumage, the Eurasian Scolopax rusticola and the smaller American Philohela minor.
- pigeon — (not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.
- goose — any of numerous wild or domesticated, web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, especially of the genera Anser and Branta, most of which are larger and have a longer neck and legs than the ducks.
Antonyms for quail
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