vail

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪl
• Homophones: vale, veil

Etymology 1

Aphetic form of avail

Noun

vail (plural vails)

1. (obsolete) profit; return; proceeds.
   • Chapman

     My house is as were the cave where the young outlaw hoards the stolen vails of his occupation.

2. (chiefly in the plural, obsolete) Money given to servants by visitors; a gratuity; also vale.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

Etymology 2

Aphetic form of avale

Noun

vail (plural vails)

1. (obsolete) submission

Verb

vail (third-person singular simple present vails, present participle vailing, simple past and past participle vailed)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To yield.
   • South

     Thy convenience must vail to thy neighbor's necessity.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To remove as a sign of deference, as a hat.

Anagrams

• LAIV
• vial
• vila