tailing

American  

[tey-ling] / ˈteɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the part of a projecting stone or brick tailed or inserted in a wall.

2. tailings,

   1. Building Trades. gravel, aggregate, etc., failing to pass through a given screen.

   2. the residue of any product, as in mining; leavings.

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tailing British  

/ ˈteɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the part of a beam, rafter, projecting brick or stone, etc, embedded in a wall

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Etymology

Origin of tailing

First recorded in 1640–50; tail ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Miles and miles of refineries and their stinking tailings ponds, adjacent to beach resorts that run on desalination plants.

From Salon

I brought up the rear of our group, tailing Ma, with my elbows angled up and out to prevent her from being jostled as she moved timidly through the crush.

From Literature

“They’re going to look like an Amazon distribution warehouse; there’s no smokestack and massive tailings pond next to it.”

From The Wall Street Journal

She is in the early stages of developing a tool to quickly identify behaviour like lurking and tailing, and direct help when it is needed.

From BBC

Human metapneumovirus cases commonly start showing up in January before peaking in March or April and then tailing off in June, said Dr. Jessica August, chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa.

From Los Angeles Times

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