noun

quail

kwayl

noun

A small, plump game bird related to pheasants and partridges.

"The farm raises quail for their eggs and meat."

verb

To lose courage or shrink back out of fear.

"She refused to quail in front of the angry crowd."

"His confidence quailed the moment the interview began."

How to Use Quail

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small game bird, or — as a verb — to flinch or lose nerve out of fear.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the bird noun with the verb meaning "to shrink back in fear" — they're historically unrelated despite the identical spelling.

Common pairings

quail eggs quail at the thought of quail before

Word Forms

quailed past tense, quailed past tense, quails plural, quail plural, quails singular, quails singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The farm raises _____ for their eggs and meat.

Etymology

The bird sense and the "lose courage" verb sense come from two different, unrelated old words that happen to look identical in modern English; the verb traces to Middle Dutch quelen, "to suffer."

Rhymes for quail

rail tail pail mail nail sail fail hail jail vail bail wail

See all rhymes for quail →