Flail
/fleɪl/noun
A tool with a handle and a free-swinging striking part, or to wave or swing about wildly.
Did you know?Flail is historically tied to Old French and Latin terms for beating or striking grain, which is why the word naturally evolved into the modern sense of wild, uncontrolled swinging.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to strike, blow”
Latin
Latin
flagellum
“a whip, lash, or little strap”
Old French
Old French
flail
“a threshing instrument with a free-swinging part”
Middle English
English
flayle
“a threshing flail”
Modern English
English
flail
“a threshing tool; to wave or swing about helplessly”
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