quail 1  (kw āl)
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n. pl. quail or quails 1. Any of various primarily ground-dwelling birds of the genus Coturnix, especially C. coturnix, small in size and having mottled brown plumage and a short tail. Also called coturnix. 2. Any of various similar or related birds of the Americas, such as the bobwhite or the California quail.
[Middle English quaile, from Anglo-Norman, from Vulgar Latin *quaccula (attested in Medieval Latin as quaccola), of imitative origin.]  (click for a larger image) quail1male California quail Callipepla californica |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
quail 2  (kw āl)
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intr.v. quailed, quail·ing, quails To shrink back in fear; cower.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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