quail
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
quail1
▶noun (pl. same or quails) a small short-tailed game bird. [Coturnix coturnix and other species.]
– origin ME: from OFr. quaille, from med. L. coacula (prob. imitative of its call).
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
quail2
▶verb feel or show fear or apprehension.
– origin ME (in the sense ‘waste away’): of unknown origin.
'quail' also found in these Oxford entries:
