Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Trail
Trail
(trāl)
, Verb.
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
, Verb.
T.
2.
To draw or drag, as along the ground.
And hung his head, and
trailed
his legs along. Dryden.
They shall not
Like a wild beast.
trail
me through their streetsLike a wild beast.
Milton.
Long behind he
trails
his pompous robe. Pope.
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.
4.
To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat.
Longfellow.
5.
To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon.
[Prov. Eng.]
I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed)
trailing
Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance. C. Bronte.
Trail
,Verb.
I.
1.
To be drawn out in length; to follow after.
When his brother saw the red blood
trail
. Spenser.
2.
To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.
Trail
,Noun.
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
They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous
trail
. Cooper.
How cheerfully on the false
trail
they cry! Shakespeare
2.
A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region;
as, an Indian
. trail
over the plains3.
Anything drawn out to a length;
as, the
trail
of a meteor; a trail
of smoke.When lightning shoots in glittering
trails
along. Rowe.
4.
Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train.
“A radiant trail of hair.” Pope.
5.
Anything drawn along, as a vehicle.
[Obs.]
6.
A frame for trailing plants; a trellis.
[Obs.]
7.
The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; – applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep.
The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its
trail
in, is a delicious dish. Baird.
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
. 9.
The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition.
[Prov. Eng.]
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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Trail
TRAIL
,Verb.
T.
1.
To hunt by the track. [See the Norman, supra.]2.
To draw along the ground. Trail your pikes. And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along.
They shall not trail me through the streets
Like a wild beast.
That long behind he trails his pompous robe.
3.
To lower; as, to trail arms.4.
In America, to tread down gras by walking through; to lay flat; as, to trail grass.TRAIL
,Verb.
I.
When his brother saw the red blood trail.
TRAIL
,Noun.
How cheerfully on the false trail they cry.
1.
Any thing drawn to length; as the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke. When lightning shoots in glitt'ring trails along.
2.
Any thing drawn behind in long undulations; a train. And drew behind a radiant trail of hair.
3.
The entrails of a fowl; applied sometimes to those of sheep.boards, in ship-building, a term for the craved work between the cheeks of the head, at the heel of the figure.