bobtail

[ bob-teyl ]
/ ˈbɒbˌteɪl /

noun

a short or docked tail.
an animal with such a tail.

adjective

Also bob·tailed. having a bobtail.
cut short; docked; cropped.
shorter or briefer than usual; abbreviated: Several legislative items must be dropped from the current bobtail session of Congress.

verb (used with object)

to cut short the tail of; dock, often by cutting a muscle in a horse's tail to make it stand erect.

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Origin of bobtail

First recorded in 1535–45; bob2 + tail1

Words nearby bobtail

bobsled, bobsledding, bobsleigh, bobstay, bobsy-die, bobtail, bobweight, bobwhite, bobèche, boca raton, bocaccio
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bobtail

British Dictionary definitions for bobtail

bobtail
/ (ˈbɒbˌteɪl) /

noun

a docked or diminutive tail
an animal with such a tail

adjective Also: bobtailed

having the tail cut short

verb (tr)

to dock the tail of
to cut short; curtail

Word Origin for bobtail

C16: from bob ² + tail 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012