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definitions

dovetailed

[duhv-teyld]
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adjective Heraldry.

noting a partition line or a charge, as an ordinary, having a series of indentations suggesting dovetails.

RELATED WORDS

harmonize, conform, coincide, jibe, correspond, accord, square, join, tally, unite, interlock, go, agree, match, mortise, sync, tenon

Nearby words

  1. dover, strait of,
  2. dovetail,
  3. dovetail hinge,
  4. dovetail plane,
  5. dovetail saw,
  6. dovish,
  7. dovzhenko,
  8. dow,
  9. dow jones,
  10. dow jones average

Origin of dovetailed

First recorded in 1715–25; dovetail + -ed3

dovetail

[duhv-teyl]

noun Carpentry.

a tenon broader at its end than at its base; pin.
a joint formed of one or more such tenons fitting tightly within corresponding mortises.

verb (used with or without object)

Carpentry. to join or fit together by means of a dovetail or dovetails.
to join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.

Origin of dovetail

First recorded in 1555–65; so named from its shape
Related formsdove·tail·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dovetailed

British Dictionary definitions for dovetailed

dovetail

noun

a wedge-shaped tenon
Also called: dovetail joint a joint containing such tenons

verb

(tr) to join by means of dovetails
to fit or cause to fit together closely or neatlyhe dovetailed his arguments to the desired conclusion
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
Word Origin and History for dovetailed

dovetail

late 16c. (n.), 1650s (v.), from dove (n.) + tail. So called from resemblance of shape in the tenon or mortise of the joints to that of the bird’s tailfeather display. Related: Dovetailed.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper