flail en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English flayle, from earlier fleil, fleyl, fleȝȝl, from Old English fligel, *flegel (“flail”), from Proto-West Germanic *flagil, of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots flail (“a thresher's flail”), West Frisian fleil, flaaiel (“flail”), Dutch vlegel (“flail”), German Flegel (“flail”). Possibly a native Germanic word from Proto-Germanic *flagilaz (“whip”), from Proto-Germanic *flag-, *flah- (“to whip, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂k- (“to beat, hit, strike; weep”); compare Old Norse flaga (“sudden attack, bout”), Lithuanian plàkti (“to whip, lash, flog”), Ancient Greek πληγνύναι (plēgnúnai, “strike, hit, encounter”), Latin plangō (“lament”, i.e. “beat one's breast”) + Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (instrumental suffix). If so, related also to English flag, flack, flacker. Alternatively, Proto-West Germanic *flagil may be an early borrowing of Latin flagellum (“winnowing tool, thresher”), diminutive of flagrum (“scourge, whip”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlag-, *bʰlaǵ- (“to beat”); compare Old Norse blekkja (“to beat, mistreat”). Compare also Old French flael (“flail”), Walloon flayea (“flail”) (locally pronounced "flai"), Italian flagello (“scourge, whip, plague”).
Meanings
-
A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle (handstock) with a shorter stick (swipple or swingle) attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
If the farmer must use the spade because he has not capital enough for a plough, the sickle instead of the reaping machine, the flail instead of the thresher...
1879, Henry George, chapter V, in Progress and Poverty:Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail
1816, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan:On him alone the curse of Cain Fell, like a flail on the garnered grain, And struck him to the earth!
1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Slave in the Dismal Swamp:When in one night, ere glimpse of morn, His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn That ten day-labourers could not end;
1631, John Milton, L'Allegro:
- A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.
-
(often, plural) Part of a rotating device, often used for cutting vegetation.
The carriage washing plant uses four pairs of rotating rag flails and will be capable of dealing with the whole of the diesel units as well as steam stock used for main-line trains.
1957 December 14, “Diesel Depot for Darlington”, in Railway Magazine, page 876:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flails | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
flail chest · flail tank · mine flail · flailsome · flaily · flaillike
Synonyms
Translations (112)
sh це̑п (tool) · da kampplejl (weapon) · sh мла̑т (weapon) · la pertica trituaria (tool) · da stridsplejl (weapon) · sh мла̑т (tool) · pl kiścień (weapon) · mi karawhiu (tool) · de Kriegsflegel (weapon) · ka ლახტი (weapon) · ja 連接棍棒 (weapon) · mk млат (weapon) · it correggiato (tool) · tl tiyuka (tool) · dsb cepy (tool) · ga súiste (weapon) · de plegel (tool) · udm кутэс (tool) · la tritorium bellicum (weapon) · pdt Fläajel (tool) · et koot (tool) · sv präjel (tool) · mrj сепанды (tool) · bg цеп (tool) · sk remdik (weapon) · br freilh-brezel (weapon) · de Flegel (weapon) · cmn 連枷 /连枷 (weapon) · hu cséphadaró (tool) · mk чу́кало (weapon) · nl dorsvlegel (tool) · cy ffust (tool) · ja 連接棍 (weapon) · wa flayea (tool) · es mayal de armas (weapon) · el κόπανος (tool) · sh cȇp (tool) · da plejl (tool) · hu láncos buzogány (weapon) · ota دوگن (tool) · fr fléau (tool) · cmn 連枷 /连枷 (tool) · es mayal (tool) · ja 唐棹 (tool) · rm flagè (tool) · cmn 枷 (tool) · rm squassuir (tool) · gl mallo (tool) · et pint (tool) · sh mlȃt (weapon) · tr gürz (weapon) · sv prägel (tool) · pl cep (tool) · fa سالیخ (weapon) · cy dyrnflaidd (weapon) · br freilh (tool) · lv sprigulis (tool) · sh мла̀тило (weapon) · be цэп (tool) · ja フレイル (weapon) · ga súiste (tool) · fr fléau d’armes (weapon) · dlm frazial (tool) · nl vlegel (tool) · pt mangual (tool) · mk вршилка (tool) · gl mal (tool) · sv slaga (tool) · kpv вартан (tool) · sh mlàtilo (weapon) · ru цеп (tool) · eo draŝilo (tool) · fi varsta (tool) · sh mlȃt (tool) · mhr сапондо (tool) · cs řemdih (weapon) · de Streitflegel (weapon) · sl cepec (tool) · nl strijdvlegel (weapon) · ro îmblăciu (tool) · rif azduz (weapon) · pt malho (tool) · uk ціп (tool) · rif azduz (tool) · ro buzdugan (weapon) · de pflegel (tool) · ca flagell (tool) · mk чу́кало (tool) · izh raaka (tool) · pt mangual (weapon) · bg млати́ло (weapon) · it mazzafrusto (weapon) · gl manlle (tool) · de Flegel (tool) · az əmud (weapon) · fi ketjukuulanuija (weapon) · sl mlat (weapon) · enm fleyl (tool) · gl manle (tool) · bg млатило (tool) · ru кисте́нь (weapon) · cmn 耞 (tool) · ca batolles (tool) · pl cep bojowy (weapon) · cs cep (tool) · sk řemdih (weapon) · fi sotavarsta (weapon) · sk cep (tool) · sv stridsgissel (weapon) · sv pläjel (tool) · de Dreschflegel (tool) · sv stridsslaga (weapon)