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Added 9 October 2026

quail

/kweɪl/ noun

In Latin: coturnix Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quail at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or broiling if young; otherwise must be braised.
Small gallinaceous game birds.

verb

Draw back, as with fear or pain.
she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Origin

From Middle English quaylen, from Middle Dutch queilen, quēlen, from Old Dutch *quelan, from Proto-West Germanic *kwelan, from Proto-Germanic *kwelaną (“to suffer”). Doublet of queal.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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