HOW TO PRONOUNCE
quail
/kweɪl/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does quail mean?
verb
- To waste away; to fade, to wither.
- To lose heart or courage; to be daunted or fearful.
- Of courage, faith, etc.: to slacken, to give way.
More meanings (6)
noun
- 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.
- (obsolete) A prostitute.
proper noun
- A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
verb
- (archaic) To daunt or frighten (someone).
- (obsolete) To curdle or coagulate, as milk does.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/kweɪl/
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
Merton had sometimes wondered if she had learnt to quail at the crash of the passing trains.
Berries and plums abound in season, and quail and grouse and deer—the magnificent shaggy mule deer as well as the common species.
More book examples (3)
Not unfrequently the hunter bags twenty or even thirty brace of quail in one field, by this ridiculous looking but ingenious method.
I am no coward, to shrink before the rugged rush of the storm, nor even quail before the awful shadow of the Veil.
They were always ready to forget their troubles at home, and to run away with me over the prairie, scaring rabbits or starting up flocks of quail.