Bobtail
/ˈbɒb.teɪl/noun
An animal or other thing with a short, truncated, or apparently cut-off tail.
Did you know?In the 16th century, bobtail could describe animals whose tails had been deliberately shortened, and the word later became a nickname for people or things considered conspicuously short or incomplete.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*taglaz
“Tail; a long appendage, especially of an animal”
Old English
Old English
tægel
“Tail”
Middle English
Middle English
tail
“The tail or rear extremity of an animal”
14th Century
English
bob
“A short, rounded, or abruptly cut form; the exact origin is uncertain”
16th Century
English
bobtail
“An animal with its tail shortened or cut off”
Modern English
English
bobtail
“Something with a short or truncated tail; also used in names such as bobtail cat and bobtail truck”