entail

[ verb en-teyl; noun en-teyl, en-teyl ]

/ verb ɛnˈteɪl; noun ɛnˈteɪl, ˈɛn teɪl /

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See synonyms for: entail / entailed / entailing / entails on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence: a loss entailing no regret.

to impose as a burden: Success entails hard work.

Law. to limit the passage of (real estate) to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be transferred or bequeathed to anyone else.

Law. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.

noun

the act of entailing.

Law. the state of being entailed.

any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.

Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.

Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.

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Origin of entail

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English entailen (verb), entail (noun), equivalent to en-¹ + tail²

OTHER WORDS FROM entail

en·tail·er, nounen·tail·ment, nounpre·en·tail, verb (used with object)

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

How to use entail in a sentence

He had left the same courthouse with half a smile and a shrug because it was only a civil case, entailing no criminal penalties.
Kristin Davis, Self-Styled Spitzer Madam, Is Arraigned on Drug Charges|Michael Daly|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Idolatry is either a defiance or a forgetfulness of God,--high treason to the majesty of Heaven, entailing the direst calamities.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V|John Lord
As in the other instance, a search has to be made for the key, entailing much perambulation of the farm.
Yorkshire Painted And Described|Gordon Home
He accompanied the sheriff on all journeys entailing serving of papers and other embarrassing duties common to the law.
The Village Watch-Tower|(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin

"No woman ever took that fatal step yet, without its entailing on her the most dire wretchedness," she replied.
East Lynne|Mrs. Henry Wood
She was afraid of entailing misery on him by fostering a taste beyond what his means would permit him to gratify.
Watch--Work--Wait|Sarah A. Myers

British Dictionary definitions for entail

entail

/ (ɪnˈteɪl) /

verb (tr)

to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequencethis task entails careful thought

property law to restrict (the descent of an estate) to a designated line of heirs

logic to have as a necessary consequence

noun

property law

the restriction imposed by entailing an estate
an estate that has been entailed

Derived forms of entail

entailer, noun

Word Origin for entail

C14: entaillen, from en- 1 + taille limitation, tail ²

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

entail

Origin of entail

OTHER WORDS FROM entail

Words related to entail

How to use entail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for entail

Derived forms of entail

Word Origin for entail