turn tail

T t

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [turn teyl]
- /tɜrn teɪl/
- /tɜːn teɪl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [turn teyl]
- /tɜrn teɪl/

Definitions of turn tail words

noun turn tail the hindmost part of an animal, especially that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk. 1
noun turn tail something resembling or suggesting this in shape or position: the tail of a kite. 1
noun turn tail Astronomy. the luminous stream extending from the head of a comet. 1
noun turn tail the reverse of a coin (opposed to head). 1
noun turn tail Aeronautics. the after portion of an airplane or the like. 1
noun turn tail tails. tail coat. the tapering skirts or ends at the back of a coat, especially a tail coat. men's full-dress attire. Distilling. alcohol obtained in the final distillation. Compare head (def 22). 1

See all 42 definitions of turn tail

Information block about the term

Origin of turn tail

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English; Old English tægl; cognate with Old Norse tagl horse's tail, Gothic tagl hair, Middle High German zagel tail, Middle Low German tagel rope-end

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Turn tail

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Turn tail

turn tail popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% 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".

turn tail usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for turn tail

verb turn tail

back — If you move back, you move in the opposite direction to the one in which you are facing or in which you were moving before.
cave in — If something such as a roof or a ceiling caves in, it collapses inwards.
give ground — the quality or state of being resilient; springiness.
go along with — permit, consent to
lay down — to put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down: to lay a book on a desk.

All 5 Synonyms of turn tail