"fishtail" meaning in English

See fishtail in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈfɪʃteɪl/ Forms: fishtails [plural]
Etymology: From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|fisch tayle}} Middle English fisch tayle, {{com|en|fish|tail}} fish + tail Head templates: {{en-noun}} fishtail (plural fishtails)
  1. The tail of a fish, or an object resembling this.
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-noun-nRyBWhQh
  2. The skidding of the back of a vehicle from side to side. Translations (The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side): fiŝovosto (Esperanto), queue de poisson [feminine] (French)
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-noun-zXyaCSex Disambiguation of 'The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side': 0 74 1 25
  3. A kind of chisel with a flared blade. Categories (topical): Tools
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-noun-2JIqPZRC Disambiguation of Tools: 4 9 30 8 12 20 16
  4. Short for fishtail palm. Tags: abbreviation, alt-of Alternative form of: fishtail palm
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-noun-PsARr9xF Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 0 18 1 30 17 18 15 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 0 15 1 41 14 15 13
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: fishtail burner, fishtail palm, fishtail propeller, fishtail skirt

Verb

IPA: /ˈfɪʃteɪl/ Forms: fishtails [present, singular, third-person], fishtailing [participle, present], fishtailed [participle, past], fishtailed [past]
Etymology: From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|fisch tayle}} Middle English fisch tayle, {{com|en|fish|tail}} fish + tail Head templates: {{en-verb}} fishtail (third-person singular simple present fishtails, present participle fishtailing, simple past and past participle fishtailed)
  1. (intransitive) To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-verb-zwpkthMP
  2. (transitive) To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-verb-ZLa3doLW
  3. (intransitive) To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-fishtail-en-verb-Se86TOxh

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for fishtail meaning in English (5.3kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "fishtail burner"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "fishtail palm"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "fishtail propeller"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "fishtail skirt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fisch tayle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fisch tayle",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fish",
        "3": "tail"
      },
      "expansion": "fish + tail",
      "name": "com"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fishtails",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fishtail (plural fishtails)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The tail of a fish, or an object resembling this."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-noun-nRyBWhQh",
      "links": [
        [
          "tail",
          "tail"
        ],
        [
          "fish",
          "fish"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The skidding of the back of a vehicle from side to side."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-noun-zXyaCSex",
      "links": [
        [
          "skidding",
          "skidding"
        ],
        [
          "back",
          "back"
        ],
        [
          "vehicle",
          "vehicle"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 74 1 25",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side",
          "word": "fiŝovosto"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 74 1 25",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "queue de poisson"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "4 9 30 8 12 20 16",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Tools",
          "orig": "en:Tools",
          "parents": [
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A kind of chisel with a flared blade."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-noun-2JIqPZRC",
      "links": [
        [
          "chisel",
          "chisel"
        ],
        [
          "flared",
          "flared"
        ],
        [
          "blade",
          "blade"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "fishtail palm"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "0 18 1 30 17 18 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 15 1 41 14 15 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Short for fishtail palm."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-noun-PsARr9xF",
      "links": [
        [
          "fishtail palm",
          "fishtail palm#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪʃteɪl/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fishtail"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fisch tayle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fisch tayle",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fish",
        "3": "tail"
      },
      "expansion": "fish + tail",
      "name": "com"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fishtails",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fishtail (third-person singular simple present fishtails, present participle fishtailing, simple past and past participle fishtailed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "As we approached the runway, the pilot fishtailed slightly to reduce landing speed.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-verb-zwpkthMP",
      "links": [
        [
          "swing",
          "swing"
        ],
        [
          "back",
          "back"
        ],
        [
          "vehicle",
          "vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "aircraft",
          "aircraft"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, Jeffrey Bernhardt, The Indian: America's Waking Dream, Berkeley Radicals, War, Riots, Drugs and Revolution",
          "text": "But Bruce wasn't done baiting the jocks. He fishtailed the car; it swerved and reversed direction, heading straight for the three jocks who were chasing them on foot. It looked like he was going to run the car over the three men.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-verb-ZLa3doLW",
      "links": [
        [
          "swing",
          "swing"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin, published 2005, page 3",
          "text": "A large black and gold butterfly fish-tailed in and landed on a hydrangea bush almost at my elbow, moved its wings slowly up and down a few times, then took off heavily […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 55",
          "text": "Having reversed at Eastbourne, I am in the trailing car, which leaps and fishtails around so much on our way to Bexhill that I have trouble writing coherent notes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way."
      ],
      "id": "en-fishtail-en-verb-Se86TOxh",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪʃteɪl/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fishtail"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Tools"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "fishtail burner"
    },
    {
      "word": "fishtail palm"
    },
    {
      "word": "fishtail propeller"
    },
    {
      "word": "fishtail skirt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fisch tayle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fisch tayle",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fish",
        "3": "tail"
      },
      "expansion": "fish + tail",
      "name": "com"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fishtails",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fishtail (plural fishtails)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The tail of a fish, or an object resembling this."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "tail",
          "tail"
        ],
        [
          "fish",
          "fish"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The skidding of the back of a vehicle from side to side."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "skidding",
          "skidding"
        ],
        [
          "back",
          "back"
        ],
        [
          "vehicle",
          "vehicle"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A kind of chisel with a flared blade."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "chisel",
          "chisel"
        ],
        [
          "flared",
          "flared"
        ],
        [
          "blade",
          "blade"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "fishtail palm"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English short forms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Short for fishtail palm."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fishtail palm",
          "fishtail palm#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪʃteɪl/"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side",
      "word": "fiŝovosto"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "The swinging of the back of a vehicle from side to side",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "queue de poisson"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fishtail"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Tools"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fisch tayle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fisch tayle",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fish",
        "3": "tail"
      },
      "expansion": "fish + tail",
      "name": "com"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fishtails",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fishtailed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fishtail (third-person singular simple present fishtails, present participle fishtailing, simple past and past participle fishtailed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "As we approached the runway, the pilot fishtailed slightly to reduce landing speed.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "swing",
          "swing"
        ],
        [
          "back",
          "back"
        ],
        [
          "vehicle",
          "vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "aircraft",
          "aircraft"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, Jeffrey Bernhardt, The Indian: America's Waking Dream, Berkeley Radicals, War, Riots, Drugs and Revolution",
          "text": "But Bruce wasn't done baiting the jocks. He fishtailed the car; it swerved and reversed direction, heading straight for the three jocks who were chasing them on foot. It looked like he was going to run the car over the three men.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "swing",
          "swing"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin, published 2005, page 3",
          "text": "A large black and gold butterfly fish-tailed in and landed on a hydrangea bush almost at my elbow, moved its wings slowly up and down a few times, then took off heavily […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 55",
          "text": "Having reversed at Eastbourne, I am in the trailing car, which leaps and fishtails around so much on our way to Bexhill that I have trouble writing coherent notes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪʃteɪl/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fishtail"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.