bobtail

[ bob-teyl ]

noun
  1. a short or docked tail.

  2. an animal with such a tail.

adjective
  1. Also bobtailed . having a bobtail.

  2. cut short; docked; cropped.

  1. shorter or briefer than usual; abbreviated: Several legislative items must be dropped from the current bobtail session of Congress.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cut short the tail of; dock, often by cutting a muscle in a horse's tail to make it stand erect.

Origin of bobtail

1
First recorded in 1535–45; bob2 + tail1

Words Nearby bobtail

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bobtail in a sentence

  • Harry'd never go to any of those other big strikes—the bobtail, or the one in Russell Gulch, or a lot more.

    The Pike's Peak Rush | Edwin L. Sabin

British Dictionary definitions for bobtail

bobtail

/ (ˈbɒbˌteɪl) /


noun
  1. a docked or diminutive tail

  2. an animal with such a tail

adjectiveAlso: bobtailed
  1. having the tail cut short

verb(tr)
  1. to dock the tail of

  2. to cut short; curtail

Origin of bobtail

1
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