quail Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braised
  2. noun small gallinaceous game birds
  3. verb draw back, as with fear or pain
    squinch; flinch; recoil; wince; cringe; shrink; funk.
    • she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

WordNet

Quail intransitive verb
Etymology
AS.cwelan to die, perish; akin to cwalu violent death, D. kwaal pain, G. qual torment, OHG. quelan to suffer torment, Lith. gelti to hurt, gela pain. Cf. Quell.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Qualled ; present participle & verbal noun Qualling
Definitions
  1. To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade. Obs. Spenser.
  2. To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower.
    The atheist power shall quail, and confess his fears. I. Taylor. Stouter hearts than a woman's have quailed in this terrible winter. Longfellow.
    Syn. -- to cower; flinch; shrink; quake; tremble; blench; succumb; yield.
Quail transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. Quell.
Definitions
  1. To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue. Obs. Spenser.
Quail intransitive verb
Etymology
OF. coaillier, F. cailler, from L. coagulare. See Coagulate.
Definitions
  1. To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. Obs. Holland.
Quail noun
Etymology
OF. quaille, F. caille, LL. quaquila, qualia, qualea, of Dutch or German origin; cf. D. kwakkel, kwartel, OHG. wahtala, G. wachtel.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Any gallinaceous bird belonging to Coturnix and several allied genera of the Old World, especially the common European quail (C. communis), the rain quail (C. Coromandelica) of India, the stubble quail (C. pectoralis), and the Australian swamp quail (Synoicus australis).
  2. (Zoöl.) Any one of several American partridges belonging to Colinus, Callipepla, and allied genera, especially the bobwhite (called Virginia quail, and Maryland quail), and the California quail (Calipepla Californica).
  3. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of Turnix and allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian painted quail (Turnix varius). See Turnix.
  4. A prostitute; -- so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird.Obs. Shak.

Webster 1913