drail

[ dreyl ]

/ dreɪl /

Angling.

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noun

a hook with a lead-covered shank used in trolling.

verb (used without object)

to fish by trolling with a drail.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of drail

1625–35; Americanism; special use of obsolete English, Middle English drail to drag along, apparently alteration of trail under influence of drag, draw, etc.

Words nearby drail

drag strip, dragsville, Draguignan, drag up, drahthaar, drail, drain, drainage, drainage basin, drainageway, drainboard

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

How to use drail in a sentence

And he was as good as his threat: I saw the drail skipping on the top of the wave as my line came in empty.
Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast|Samuel Adams Drake

British Dictionary definitions for drail

drail

/ (dreɪl) angling /

noun

a weighted hook used in trolling

verb

(intr) to fish with a drail

Word Origin for drail

C16: apparently from trail, influenced by draw

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