Definitions for flail
fleɪlflail

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. flailverb

   an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing

2. thrash, thresh, lam, flailverb

   give a thrashing to; beat hard

3. flail, threshverb

   move like a flail; thresh about

   "Her arms were flailing"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. flailnoun

   A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.

2. flailnoun

   A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.

3. flailverb

   To beat using a flail or similar implement.

4. flailverb

   To wave or swing vigorously

5. flailverb

   To thresh.

6. Etymology: flael, from flagellum, diminutive of flagrum.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Flailnoun

   The instrument with which grain is beaten out of the ear.

   Etymology: flagellum, Latin; flegel, German.

   Our soldiers, like the night owl’s lazy flight,
   Or like a lazy thresher with a flail,
   Fell gently down as if they struck their friends. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   When in one night, ere glimpse of morn,
   His shadowy flail hath thresh’d the corn,
   That ten day-labourers could not end. John Milton.

   In this pile should reign a mighty prince,
   Born for a scourge of wit, and flail of sense. Dryden.

   The dextrous handling of the flail, or the plough, and being good workmen with these tools, did not hinder Gideon’s and Cincinnatus’s skill in arms, nor make them less able in the arts of war and government. John Locke.

   The thresher, Duck, could o’er the queen prevail;
   The proverb says, no fence against a flail. Jonathan Swift.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Flail

   A flail is an agricultural tool used for threshing, the process of separating grains from their husks. It is usually made from two or more large sticks attached by a short chain; one stick is held and swung, causing the other (the swipple) to strike a pile of grain, loosening the husks. The precise dimensions and shape of flails were determined by generations of farmers to suit the particular grain they were harvesting. For example, flails used by farmers in Quebec to process wheat were generally made from two pieces of wood, the handle being about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long by 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, and the second stick being about 1 m (3.3 ft) long by about 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, with a slight taper towards the end. Flails for other grains, such as rice or spelt, would have had different dimensions. Flails have generally fallen into disuse in many nations because of the availability of technologies such as combine harvesters that require much less manual labour. But in many places, such as Minnesota, wild rice can only be harvested legally using manual means, specifically through the use of a canoe and a flail that is made of smooth, round wood no more than 30 inches long.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. flail

   A flail is an agricultural tool composed of a handle attached to one or more beater rods, used for threshing grains by manually beating the grain from the chaff. In a broader sense, to 'flail' can also mean to wave or swing about wildly or out of control.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Flailnoun

   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

2. Flailnoun

   an ancient military weapon, like the common flail, often having the striking part armed with rows of spikes, or loaded

3. Etymology: [L. flagellum whip, scourge, in LL., a threshing flail: cf. OF. flael, flaiel, F. flau. See Flagellum.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Flail

   The term flail refers to two different weapons: one a two-handed infantry weapon derived from an agricultural tool, and the other a one-handed weapon. The defining characteristic of both is that they involve a separate striking head attached to a handle by a flexible rope, strap, or chain. The two-handed variant saw use in a limited number of conflicts during the European Middle Ages. The two-handed flail is a hand weapon derived from the agricultural tool of the same name, commonly used in threshing. Only a limited amount of historical evidence exists for their employment in Europe during this era. These were deployed in Germany and Central Europe in the later Middle Ages. This weapon consists of a hinged bar connected to a longer shaft. In Korea the flail as an agricultural tool is called "dorikke" but as a weapon, it is called "pyeongon". The Japanese term for their equivalent of the ball-on-a-chain bludgeon is "rentsuru", while the Chinese version's name translates vividly into English as meteor hammer.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Flail

   flāl, n. an implement for threshing corn, consisting of a wooden bar (the swingle) hinged or tied to a handle: a medieval weapon with spiked iron swingle.—v.t. to strike with, or as if with, a flail. [A.S. fligel, prob. from L. flagellum, a scourge.]

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. FLAIL

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Flail is ranked #129825 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Flail surname appeared 131 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Flail.
   
   98.4% or 129 total occurrences were White.

Matched Categories

1. • Beat

How to pronounce flail?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say flail in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of flail in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of flail in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of flail in a Sentence

1. John Bolte:

   But [for] someone that’s older, a couple of rib fractures, flail chest, problems breathing, pneumonia— it can really build up and cause a lot more issues.

2. James Macdonald:

   He was starting to flail about and get extremely panicked.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=flail
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Flail
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=flail
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flail
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flail
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=flail
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=flail
9. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html