Definition of QUAIL

quail

Plural: quail, quails

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 Word
quail: 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