Word Meanings - FLAIL - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. An instrument for threshing or beating grain from the ear by hand, consisting of a wooden staff or handle, at the end of which a stouter and shorter pole or club, called a swipe, is so hung as to swing freely. His shadowy flail hath threshed

Additional info about word: FLAIL

1. An instrument for threshing or beating grain from the ear by hand, consisting of a wooden staff or handle, at the end of which a stouter and shorter pole or club, called a swipe, is so hung as to swing freely. His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn. Milton. 2. An ancient military weapon, like the common flail, often having the striking part armed with rows of spikes, or loaded. Fairholt. No citizen thought himself safe unless he carried under his coat a small flail, loaded with lead, to brain the Popish assassins. Macaulay.

Related words: (words related to FLAIL)

• SWASHY
  Soft, like fruit that is too ripe; quashy; swash.
• CALLOSUM
  The great band commissural fibers which unites the two cerebral hemispheres. See corpus callosum, under Carpus.
• CALLOW
  1. Destitute of feathers; naked; unfledged. An in the leafy summit, spied a nest, Which, o'er the callow young, a sparrow pressed. Dryden. 2. Immature; boyish; "green"; as, a callow youth. I perceive by this, thou art but a callow maid. Old Play .
• SWEETLY
  In a sweet manner.
• SWEETISH
  Somewhat sweet. -- Sweet"ish*ness, n.
• CALLE
  A kind of head covering; a caul. Chaucer.
• SWEETING
  1. A sweet apple. Ascham. 2. A darling; -- a word of endearment. Shak.
• SWATH
  zwade, a swath of grass, G. schwad, schwaden; perhaps, originally, a 1. A line of grass or grain cut and thrown together by the scythe in mowing or cradling. 2. The whole sweep of a scythe, or the whole breadth from which grass or grain is cut
• GRAINED
  Having tubercles or grainlike processes, as the petals or sepals of some flowers. (more info) 1. Having a grain; divided into small particles or grains; showing the grain; hence, rough. 2. Dyed in grain; ingrained. Persons lightly dipped,
• SWUM
  imp. & p. p. of Swim.
• BEATIFIC; BEATIFICAL
  Having the power to impart or complete blissful enjoyment; blissful. "The beatific vision." South. -- Be`a*tif"ic*al*ly, adv.
• SWYTHE
  Quickly. See Swithe. Sy, obs. imp. of See.
• SWEETHEART
  A lover of mistress.
• SWAYING
  An injury caused by violent strains or by overloading; -- said of the backs of horses. Crabb.
• SWAGE
  See ASSUAGE (more info) Etym:
• SHADOWY
  1. Full of shade or shadows; causing shade or shadow. "Shadowy verdure." Fenton. This shadowy desert, unfrequented woods. Shak. 2. Hence, dark; obscure; gloomy; dim. "The shadowy past." Longfellow. 3. Not brightly luminous; faintly light. The moon
• SWARTHINESS
  The quality or state of being swarthy; a dusky or dark complexion; tawniness.
• SWILLINGS
  See 1
• SWABBER
  To swab.
• INSTRUMENTAL
  Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music. "He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship." Macaulay. Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental
• UPSWAY
  To sway or swing aloft; as, to upsway a club. Sir W. Scott.
• THRASH; THRESH
  derschen, G. dreschen, OHG. dreskan, Icel. , Sw. tröska, Dan. tærske, Goth. , Lith. traszketi to rattle, Russ. treskate to burst, crackle, 1. To beat out grain from, as straw or husks; to beat the straw or husk of with a flail; to beat off,
• GYMNASTICALLY
  In a gymnastic manner.
• CHANDLER
  of candles, LL. candelarius chandler, fr. L. candela candle. See 1. A maker or seller of candles. The chandler's basket, on his shoulder borne, With tallow spots thy coat. Gay. 2. A dealer in other commodities, which are indicated by
• DISWITTED
  Deprived of wits or understanding; distracted. Drayton.
• HYPERCRITICALLY
  In a hypercritical manner.
• SCALLION
  A kind of small onion , native of Palestine; the eschalot, or shallot. 2. Any onion which does not "bottom out," but remains with a thick stem like a leek. Amer. Cyc.
• UNEMPIRICALLY
  Not empirically; without experiment or experience.
• BASSWOOD
  The bass or its wood; especially, T. Americana. See Bass, the lime tree. All the bowls were made of basswood, White and polished very smoothly. Longfellow.
• ENSWEEP
  To sweep over or across; to pass over rapidly. Thomson.
• FORSWORNNESS
  State of being forsworn.
• UNIVOCALLY
  In a univocal manner; in one term; in one sense; not equivocally. How is sin univocally distinguished into venial and mortal, if the venial be not sin Bp. Hall.