tail (redirected from chases tail)

tail

Extension of the vertebral column beyond the trunk, or any slender projection resembling such a structure. In fishes and other animals living completely or partly in water, it is very important to movement through water. Many tree-dwelling animals (e.g., squirrels) use the tail for balance and as a rudder when leaping; in some (e.g., certain monkeys), it is adapted for grasping. Birds' tail feathers aid in flight maneuverability. Other animals use their tails for defense (e.g., porcupines), social signals (e.g., dogs and cats), warning signals (e.g., deer and rattlesnakes), and hunting (e.g., alligators).

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tail¹

1. the region of the vertebrate body that is posterior to or above the anus and contains an elongation of the vertebral column, esp forming a flexible movable appendage

2. the rear part of an aircraft including the fin, tail plane, and control surfaces; empennage

3. Astronomy the luminous stream of gas and dust particles, up to 200 million kilometres long, driven from the head of a comet, when close to the sun, under the effect of the solar wind and light pressure

4. Angling the lowest fly on a wet-fly cast

5. a final short line in a stanza

6. the lower end of a pool or part of a stream

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tail² Property law

1. the limitation of an estate or interest to a person and the heirs of his body

2. (of an estate or interest) limited in this way

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tail [tāl]

(aerospace engineering)

The rear part of a body, as of an aircraft or a rocket.

The tail surfaces of an aircraft or a rocket.

(astronomy)

The part of a comet that extends from the coma in a direction opposite to the sun; it consists of dust and gas that have been blown away from the coma by the solar wind and the sun's radiation pressure.

(electronics)

A small pulse that follows the main pulse of a radar set and rises in the same direction.

The trailing edge of a pulse.

(mathematics)

For a stochastic process represented byx(t₁),x(t₂),…, the process obtained by deleting the firstnterms, for somen.

(vertebrate zoology)

The usually slender appendage that arises immediately above the anus in many vertebrates and contains the caudal vertebrae.

The uropygium, and its feathers, of a bird.

The caudal fin of a fish or aquatic mammal.