quail
Noun
- flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braised
- small gallinaceous game birds
- Any of various small game birds of the genera Coturnix, Anurophasis or Perdicula in the Old World family Phasianidae or of the New World family Odontophoridae.
- The meat from this bird eaten as food.
- A prostitute.
Verb
Verb Forms: quailed, quailing, quails
- To feel or show apprehension; to lose courage.
- draw back, as with fear or pain
- To waste away; to fade, to wither.
- To daunt or frighten (someone).
- To lose heart or courage; to be daunted or fearful.
- Of courage, faith, etc.: to slacken, to give way.
- To curdle or coagulate, as milk does.
Examples
- He tried not to quail when his opponent played a seven-letter word on a triple.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English quaylen, from Middle Dutch queilen, quēlen, from Old Dutch *quelan, from Proto-West Germanic *kwelan, from Proto-Germanic *kwelaną (“to suffer”). Doublet of queal.
Scrabble Score: 14
quail: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordquail: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
quail: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 16
quail: valid Words With Friends Word