(tāl) noun
1. The hindmost part or rear end of an animal's body, especially when prolonged beyond the rest of the body. ♦ Collateral adjective: caudal.
2. Any slender, flexible, terminal prolongation of the body of a structure: the tail of a shirt or kite.
3. Astron. The luminous sheaf extending from the nucleus of a comet.
4. The hind, back, or inferior portion of anything.
5. plural Colloq. The reverse side of a coin.
6. The lower end of a stream or pool.
7. Anything of tail–like appearance; a body of persons in single file; a queue; also, a retinue or suite.
8. A pigtail.
9. Aeron. One of several fixed horizontal or vertical surfaces of an airplane structure placed at some distance to the rear of the main bearing surfaces.
10. The rear portion of a bomb, projectile, rocket, or guided missile, usually equipped with vanes.
11. The bottom of a printed page.
12. plural Colloq. A man's full–dress suit; also, a swallow–tailed coat.
13. The back end of a wagon.
14. Colloq. The trail or course taken by a fugitive: The police were on his tail.
—v.t.
1. To furnish with a tail.
2. To cut off the tail of.
3. To be the tail or end of: to tail a procession.
4. To join (one thing) to the end of another.
5. To insert and fasten by one end, as a beam into a wall: with in or on.
6. Colloq. To follow secretly and stealthily; shadow.
—v.i.
7. To extend or proceed in a line.
8. Colloq. To follow close behind.
9. To diminish gradually: His voice tailed off.
10. To be inserted and fastened at one end, as a beam.
11. Naut. To swing or go aground stern foremost: The ship tailed into the wind.
—adjective
1. Rearmost; hindmost: the tail end.
2. Following; coming from behind: a tail wind. ♦ Homophone: tale. [OE tœgl]
—tail′less adjective

(tāl) Law adjective
Restricted; limited; abridged; restricted in succession to particular heirs: an estate tail.
—noun A cutting off, abridgment, or limitation of ownership; an entail: an estate in tail. ♦ Homophone: tale. [<OF taillié, pp. of taillier cut]