quail

3 definitions • 3 examples

a small, brown bird that is shot for sport or food, or the meat of this bird:

Quail eggs are considered to be a delicacy.

to feel or show fear; to want to be able to move away from something because you fear it:

Charlie quailed at the sound of his mother's angry voice.

She quailed before her boss's anger.

a small brown bird with a short tail, sometimes hunted as a sport and eaten as a food