flail
[ fleyl ]
/ fleɪl /
noun
an instrument for threshing grain, consisting of a staff or handle to one end of which is attached a freely swinging stick or bar.
a similar instrument used as a weapon of war.
verb (used with or without object)
to beat or swing with or as if with a flail.
RELATED CONTENT
The Many, Many Words For DrunkardsGrab your drink of choice and join us as we look back on some of the best words for drunkards from history. 1. He’s biggy Here’s the thing: We’ve been getting drunk since the stone age. (We as in “humans,” not necessarily we as in the Dictionary.com staff.) Why? Well for one thing, it’s fun. For another, it’s a communal, social activity, and we (as …
Nearby words
Origin of flail
before 1100; Middle English fleil (noun), Old English flighel (probably misspelling of *flegil), cognate with Dutch vlegel, German Flegel < West Germanic *flagil- < Late Latin flagellum flail, Latin: whip, scourge. See flagellum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for flailing
British Dictionary definitions for flailing
flail
/ (fleɪl) /
noun
an implement used for threshing grain, consisting of a wooden handle with a free-swinging metal or wooden bar attached to it
a weapon so shaped used in the Middle Ages
verb
(tr) to beat or thrash with or as if with a flail
to move or be moved like a flail; thresh aboutwith arms flailing
Word Origin for flail
C12 fleil, ultimately from Late Latin flagellum flail, from Latin: whip
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
Medicine definitions for flailing
flail
[ flāl ]
v.
To move vigorously or erratically; thrash about.
To strike or lash out violently.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.