Tail
/teɪl/noun
The hindmost appendage of an animal, or the trailing end of something.
Did you know?The English word tail is from Old English, but its deeper Germanic root is linked to a word family about cutting and division, which is why the “back end” idea stuck so stubbornly across centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*taglaz
“hairy tail; tuft of hair”
Old English
OE
tæg(l)
“tail; tuft of hair”
Middle English
ME
tail, taile
“tail; hindmost part”
Modern English
English
tail
“the hindmost appendage or trailing end”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deyk-
“to show, point out; to indicate”