quail
lose heart or courage; recoil; flinch; cower: quail in the face of danger
Not to be confused with:
quake – shake or tremble; shudder: quake with fear of the monster
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
quail 1
(kwāl)n. pl. quail or quails
1. Any of various primarily ground-dwelling birds of the genus Coturnix, especially C. coturnix, small in size and having mottled brown plumage and a short tail. Also called coturnix.
2. Any of various similar or related birds of the Americas, such as the bobwhite or the California quail.
[Middle English quaile, from Anglo-Norman, from Vulgar Latin *quaccula (attested in Medieval Latin as quaccola), of imitative origin.]
quail 2
(kwāl)intr.v. quailed, quail·ing, quails
To shrink back in fear; cower.
[Middle English quailen, to give way, probably from Middle Dutch quelen, to suffer, be ill; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
quail
(kweɪl)n, pl quails or quail
1. (Animals) any small Old World gallinaceous game bird of the genus Coturnix and related genera, having a rounded body and small tail: family Phasianidae (pheasants)
2. (Animals) any of various similar and related American birds, such as the bobwhite
[C14: from Old French quaille, from Medieval Latin quaccula, probably of imitative origin]
quail
(kweɪl)vb
(intr) to shrink back with fear; cower
[C15: perhaps from Old French quailler, from Latin coāgulāre to curdle]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
quail1
(kweɪl)n., pl. quails, (esp. collectively) quail.
1. any of various small, plump New World gallinaceous birds of the subfamily Odontophorinae, of the pheasant family, as the bobwhite.
2. any of various similar Old World gallinaceous birds of the genus Coturnix, esp. C. coturnix, of Eurasia.
[1300–50; Middle English quaille < Old French < Germanic]
quail2
(kweɪl)v.i.
to lose courage in difficulty or danger; shrink with fear.
[1400–50; < Middle Dutch quelen, queilen]
syn: See wince.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
quail
Past participle: quailed
Gerund: quailing
| Imperative |
|---|
| quail |
| quail |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  quail - flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braisedquail - small gallinaceous game birds game bird - any bird (as grouse or pheasant) that is hunted for sport wildfowl - flesh of any of a number of wild game birds suitable for food |
| 2. | quail - small gallinaceous game birds phasianid - a kind of game bird in the family Phasianidae Old World quail - small game bird with a rounded body and small tail California quail, Lofortyx californicus - plump chunky bird of coastal California and Oregon quail - flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braised bevy - a flock of birds (especially when gathered close together on the ground); "we were visited at breakfast by a bevy of excited ducks" | |
| Verb | 1. | quail - draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" shrink back, retract - pull away from a source of disgust or fear |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
quail
1verb shrink, cringe, flinch, shake, faint, tremble, quake, shudder, falter, droop, blanch, recoil, cower, blench, have cold feet (informal) The very word makes many of us quail.
quail
2noun (collective noun) bevy
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
quail
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
سَمَانِىسُماني، سَلْوى
couvatkřepelkatřást se
vagtel
viiriäinen
prepelica
borzad
guggna, hörfa undan
ウズラ
메추라기
drebēt
vaktel
นกกระทา
bıldırcınkorkup geri çekilmeksinmek
chim cút
quail
1 [kweɪl] N (quail or quails (pl)) (= bird) → codorniz fquail
2 [kweɪl] VI (= cower) → temblar (at ante) her heart quailed → se le encogió el corazónCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
quail
[ˈkweɪl] n (= bird) → caille f
vi (= feel afraid) → trembler
to quail at sth → trembler à qch
I quailed at the prospect of confronting him head-on → Je tremblais à l'idée de l'affronter directement.
to quail at sth → trembler à qch
I quailed at the prospect of confronting him head-on → Je tremblais à l'idée de l'affronter directement.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
quail
1quail
2Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
quail
1 [kweɪl] n (bird) → quagliaquail
2 [kweɪl] vi (flinch) to quail at or before → perdersi d'animo davanti aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
quail
(kweil) verb to draw back in fear; to shudder. The little boy quailed at the teacher's angry voice.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
quail
→ سَمَانِى křepelka vagtel Wachtel ορτύκι codorniz viiriäinen caille prepelica quaglia ウズラ 메추라기 kwartel vaktel przepiórka codorna, codorniz перепел vaktel นกกระทา bıldırcın chim cút 鹌鹑Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009