GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
last match results
Found 3 definitions
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Trail (trāl), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trailed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Trailing.] [OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L. traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace, v. t.]
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1. (a) To hunt by the track; to track. (b) to follow behind. (c) To pursue. Halliwell.
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2. To draw or drag, as along the ground.
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And hung his head, and trailed his legs along. Dryden.
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They shall not trail me through their streets
Like a wild beast. Milton.
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Long behind he trails his pompous robe. Pope.
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3. (Mil.) To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle.
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4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat. Longfellow.
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5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon. [Prov. Eng.]
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I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance. C. Bronte.
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Trail (?), v. i.
1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after.
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When his brother saw the red blood trail. Spenser.
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2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.
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Trail, n.
1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, “a deer trail”.
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They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail. Cooper.
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How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! Shak.
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2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, “an Indian trail over the plains”.
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3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, “the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke.”
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When lightning shoots in glittering trails along. Rowe.
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4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. “A radiant trail of hair.” Pope.
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5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [Obs.]
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6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [Obs.]
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7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep.
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The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish. Baird.
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8. (Mil.) That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun.
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9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. [Prov. Eng.]
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Trail boards (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead. -- Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat. Wright.
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