quail

1 of 2

noun

plural quail or quails
: any of numerous small gallinaceous birds: such as
a
: an Old World migratory game bird (Coturnix coturnix)
b

Illustration of quail

Illustration of quail

quail

2 of 2

verb

quailed; quailing; quails

intransitive verb

1
a
chiefly dialectal : wither, decline
b
: to give way : falter
his courage never quailed
2
: to recoil in dread or terror : cower
the strongest quail before financial ruinSamuel Butler †1902

transitive verb

archaic : to make fearful

Did you know?

Flinch, recoil, and wince are all synonyms of quail, but each word has a slightly different use. When you flinch, you fail to endure pain or to face something dangerous or frightening with resolution ("she faced her accusers without flinching"). Recoil implies a start or movement away from something through shock, fear, or disgust ("he recoiled at the suggestion of stealing"). Wince usually suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction to something ("she winced as the bright light suddenly hit her eyes"). Quail implies shrinking and cowering in fear ("he quailed before the apparition").

Choose the Right Synonym for quail

recoil, shrink, flinch, wince, blench, quail mean to draw back in fear or distaste.

recoil implies a start or movement away through shock, fear, or disgust.

recoiled at the suggestion of stealing

shrink suggests an instinctive recoil through sensitiveness, scrupulousness, or cowardice.

shrank from the unpleasant truth

flinch implies a failure to endure pain or face something dangerous or frightening with resolution.

faced her accusers without flinching

wince suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction (such as a start or recoiling).

winced in pain

blench implies fainthearted flinching.

stood their ground without blenching

quail suggests shrinking and cowering in fear.

quailed before the apparition

Examples of quail in a Sentence

Noun We had quail for dinner. Verb Other politicians quailed before him. He quailed at the thought of seeing her again.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Scaled quail, while less abundant, have followed a similar trajectory. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Ground birds such as dove, quail and towhees will eagerly peck at seed on the ground, but the birds need cover close by in case a prowling Cooper’s hawk is looking for an easy lunch. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2024 The difference is that nature put the quail there, while human beings put the cats there. Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Open in Tempe since 2019, the restaurant serves Shandong and Sichuan food with a chef's recommendation section that features items like House Specialty Spicy Pot, made with beef tripe, potatoes, spam, lotus root, celery, tofu skin, wide vermicelli, quail eggs and squid. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 20 Feb. 2024 The quail was perfectly roasted with a punch of spice from the Moroccan chermoula sauce. Vivienne Peters; Photos By Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 The Argentine black and white tegu eat quail, tortoise, birds and other reptiles, among other creatures. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 The show, which rotates from city to city in the pheasant and quail range, is a bird hunter’s dream world. Brent Frazee, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 The bride wore a leather glove with a piece of quail meat attached to entice Marty the falcon to swoop down and land on her arm. Sabienna Bowman, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Verb
Biologists, wildlife authorities and hunters share ideas on how to bring the pheasants and quail back. Brent Frazee, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Some of these a la carte dishes are king crab and sunfish egg roll; quail with tangering and pepper sauce; local fish with banana curry; A5 Wagyu with short grain rice; and squid with sunflower and rayu sauce. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024 Dishes range from zucchini salad to quail in plum sauce. Naomi Tomky, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2023 Or quail eggs from Smyth and the Loyalist (Karen Urie Shields, its co-owner, graduated from Johnson & Wales University). Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2023 The lines echoed the Exodus story, how the Lord saved the Israelites in the desert by sending them quail and manna from heaven. Fred Bahnson, Harper's Magazine, 1 July 2022 Attach tart tins, moss, and quail eggs with hot-glue. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 30 Mar. 2023 Odysseus’s knees went slack then and the heart within him quailed. Homer, The New York Review of Books, 30 Mar. 2023 The art world quailed at the ruling. Blake Gopnik, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English quaile, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin quaccula, of imitative origin

Verb

Middle English, from Middle Dutch quelen

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of quail was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Quail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quail. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

quail

1 of 2 noun
plural quail or quails
: any of various mostly small plump game birds (as the bobwhite) that are related to the common domestic chicken

quail

2 of 2 verb
: to lose courage : shrink in fear
Etymology

Noun

Middle English quaile "quail (bird)," from early French quaile (same meaning), from Latin quaccula (same meaning), of imitative origin

Verb

Middle English quailen "to wither, decline," from early Dutch quelen (same meaning)

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