Dictionary.com

dovetail

[ duhv-teyl ]
/ ˈdʌvˌteɪl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: dovetail / dovetailing on Thesaurus.com

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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of dovetail

First recorded in 1555–65; so named from its shape

OTHER WORDS FROM dovetail

dovetailer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dovetail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dovetail

dovetail
/ (ˈdʌvˌteɪl) /

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
FEEDBACK