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Leg vs Tail - What's the difference?

leg | tail | Related terms |

In anatomy terms the difference between leg and tail

is that leg is the portion of the lower appendage of a human that extends from the knee to the ankle while tail is the distal tendon of a muscle.

In nautical terms the difference between leg and tail

is that leg is one side of a multiple-sided (often triangular) course in a sailing race while tail is to swing with the stern in a certain direction; said of a vessel at anchor.

In cricket terms the difference between leg and tail

is that leg is a fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter while tail is the last four or five batsmen in the batting order, usually specialist bowlers.

As nouns the difference between leg and tail

is that leg is the lower limb of a human being or animal that extends from the groin to the ankle while tail is the caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.

As verbs the difference between leg and tail

is that leg is to put a series of three or more options strikes into the stock market while tail is to follow and observe surreptitiously.

As an adjective tail is

limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed.

leg

English

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Alternative forms

* (l) (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The lower limb of a human being or animal that extends from the groin to the ankle.
    • Dan won't be able to come to the party, since he broke his leg last week and is now on crutches.
  • (anatomy) The portion of the lower appendage of a human that extends from the knee to the ankle.
  • A part of garment, such as a pair of trousers/pants, that covers a leg.
    • The left leg of these jeans has a tear.
  • A stage of a journey, race etc.
    • After six days, we're finally in the last leg of our cross-country trip.
  • (nautical) A distance that a sailing vessel does without changing the sails from one side to the other.
  • (nautical) One side of a multiple-sided (often triangular) course in a sailing race.
  • (sports) A single game or match played in a tournament or other sporting contest.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=November 11 , author=Rory Houston , title=Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland , work=RTE Sport citation , page= , passage=A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.}}
  • One of the two sides of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse.
  • (geometry) One of the branches of a hyperbola or other curve which extend outward indefinitely.
  • A rod-like protrusion from an inanimate object, supporting it from underneath.
    • the legs of a chair or table
  • (usually used in plural) evidence, the ability of a thing or idea to stick around or persist
  • (UK, slang, archaic) A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg.
  • An extension of a steam boiler downward, in the form of a narrow space between vertical plates, sometimes nearly surrounding the furnace and ash pit, and serving to support the boiler; called also water leg.
  • In a grain elevator, the case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets.
  • (cricket) A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter.

    • Derived terms

    * a leg to stand on * foreleg * get one's leg over * hind leg * leg break * leg-breaker * leggy * leg it * legroom * legs eleven * legwork * make a leg * pull someone's leg * shake a leg * show a bit of leg * show a leg * stretch one's legs

    See also

    * ankle * arm * buttocks * calf * crus * elbow * foot * hip * joint * knee * lap * limb * shank * shin * thick * thigh * vertebra

    Verb

    (legg)
  • To put a series of three or more options strikes into the stock market.
  • To remove the legs from an animal carcass.
  • To build legs onto a platform or stage for support.

    • Derived terms

    * leg it

    Anagrams

    * *

    References

    1000 English basic words ----

    tail

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) . In some senses, apparently by a generalization of the usual opposition between head'' and ''tail .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (anatomy) The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
    • Most primates have a tail and fangs.
  • The tail-end of an object, e.g. the rear of an aircraft's fuselage, containing the tailfin.
  • An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails.
  • * (rfdate), Harvey:
    • Doretus writes a great praise of the distilled waters of those tails that hang on willow trees.
  • The rear structure of an aircraft, the empennage.
  • Specifically, the visible stream of dust and gases blown from a comet by the solar wind.
  • The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.
  • (statistics) The part of a distribution most distant from the mode; as , a long tail.
  • One who surreptitiously follows another.
  • (cricket) The last four or five batsmen in the batting order, usually specialist bowlers.
  • (typography) The lower loop of the letters in the Roman alphabet, as in g'', ''q'' or ''y .
  • (chiefly, in the plural) The side of a coin not bearing the head; normally the side on which the monetary value of the coin is indicated; the reverse.
  • (mathematics) All the last terms of a sequence, from some term on.
    • A sequence (a_n) is said to be ''frequently 0'' if every tail of the sequence contains 0.
  • The buttocks or backside.
  • * 1499 , (John Skelton), The Bowge of Courte :
    • By Goddis sydes, syns I her thyder broughte, / She hath gote me more money with her tayle / Than hath some shyppe that into Bordews sayle.
  • *, I.49:
    • They were wont to wipe their tailes .
  • (slang) The male member of a person or animal.
    • After the burly macho nudists' polar bear dip, their tails''' were spectacularly shrunk, so they looked like an immature kid's innocent '''tail .
  • (slang, uncountable) Sexual intercourse.
    • I'm gonna get me some tail tonight.
  • (kayaking) The stern; the back of the kayak.
  • The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy xxviii. 13:
    • The Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail .
  • A train or company of attendants; a retinue.
  • * (rfdate), Walter Scott:
    • "Ah," said he, "if you saw but the chief with his tail on."
  • (anatomy) The distal tendon of a muscle.
  • A downy or feathery appendage of certain achens, formed of the permanent elongated style.
  • (surgery) A portion of an incision, at its beginning or end, which does not go through the whole thickness of the skin, and is more painful than a complete incision; called also tailing.
  • One of the strips at the end of a bandage formed by splitting the bandage one or more times.
  • (nautical) A rope spliced to the strap of a block, by which it may be lashed to anything.
  • (music) The part of a note which runs perpendicularly upward or downward from the head; the stem.
  • (mining) A tailing.
  • (architecture) The bottom or lower portion of a member or part such as a slate or tile.

    • Synonyms

    * ass, poontang, poon, tang, pussy, punani

    Derived terms

    * cat-o'-nine-tails * chase one's tail * coattail * cocktail * have the world by the tail * rattail * shirttail * tailback * tailcoat * tail covert * tail-end * tail feather * tail fin * tailgate * tail lamp * tail light * tail-off * tailpiece * tailpipe * tailplane * tail-race * tail-skid * tailspin * tailstock * tailwheel * tailwind * turn tail * wagtail * whitetail * yellowtail

    See also

    * caudal

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To follow and observe surreptitiously.
    • Tail that car!
  • (architecture) To hold by the end; said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; with in'' or ''into
  • (nautical) To swing with the stern in a certain direction; said of a vessel at anchor.
    • This vessel tails downstream.
  • To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded.
  • * Fuller
    • Nevertheless his bond of two thousand pounds, wherewith he was tailed , continued uncancelled.
  • To pull or draw by the tail.
    • (Hudibras)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl), probably from a shortened form of entail .

    Adjective

  • (legal) Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed.
    • estate tail

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (legal) Limitation of inheritance to certain heirs.
    • tail male — limitation to male heirs
    in tail — subject to such a limitation

    Anagrams

    * ----