flail
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
flail
- /fleɪl/
- /fɹeɪl/ archaic, dialectal
Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English flayle, from earlier fleil, fleyl, fleȝȝl, from Old English fligel, *flegel (“flail”), from Proto-West Germanic *flagil, of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots flail (“a thresher's flail”), West Frisian fleil, flaaiel (“flail”), Dutch vlegel (“flail”), German Flegel (“flail”). Possibly a native Germanic word from Proto-Germanic *flagilaz (“whip”), from Proto-Germanic *flag-, *flah- (“to whip, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂k- (“to beat, hit, strike; weep”); compare Old Norse flaga (“sudden attack, bout”), Lithuanian plàkti (“to whip, lash, flog”), Ancient Greek πληγνύναι (plēgnúnai, “strike, hit, encounter”), Latin plangō (“lament”, i.e. “beat one's breast”) + Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (instrumental suffix). If so, related also to English flag, flack, flacker.
Alternatively, Proto-West Germanic *flagil may be an early borrowing of Latin flagellum (“winnowing tool, thresher”), diminutive of flagrum (“scourge, whip”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlag-, *bʰlaǵ- (“to beat”); compare Old Norse blekkja (“to beat, mistreat”). Compare also Old French flael (“flail”), Walloon flayea (“flail”) (locally pronounced "flai"), Italian flagello (“scourge, whip, plague”).
noun flails
- A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle (handstock) with a shorter stick (swipple or swingle) attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. When in one night, ere glimpse of morn, His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn That ten day-labourers could not end;
- A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.
- Part of a rotating device, often used for cutting vegetation. The carriage washing plant uses four pairs of rotating rag flails and will be capable of dealing with the whole of the diesel units as well as steam stock used for main-line trains.
verb flails · flailing · flailed
- To beat using a flail or similar implement.
-
To wave or swing vigorously
Tangling with Ziv, Cameron caught him with a flailing elbow, causing the Israeli defender to go down a little easily. However, the referee was in no doubt, much to the displeasure of the home fans.
Similar: thrash
- To thresh.
- To move like a flail. He was flailing wildly, but didn't land a blow.
Translations
Every language
noun tool
| Español | mayal |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 唐棹 |
| 中文 | 連枷 /连枷 liánjiā, 枷 jiā, 耞 jiā |
| Português | mangual, malho |
| Français | fléau |
| Deutsch | Flegel, Dreschflegel, plegel, pflegel |
| Italiano | correggiato |
| Ελληνικά | κόπανος kópanos |
| Română | îmblăciu |
| Русский | цеп cep |
noun weapon
| Español | mayal de armas |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | フレイル fureiru, 連接棍 rensetsukon, 連接棍棒 rensetsu konbō |
| 中文 | 連枷 /连枷 liánjiā |
| Português | mangual |
| Français | fléau d’armes |
| Deutsch | Flegel, Streitflegel, Kriegsflegel |
| Italiano | mazzafrusto |
| Română | buzdugan |
| Русский | кисте́нь kisténʹ |
verb to wave or swing vigorously
| Español | sacudirse, agitarse, debatirse |
|---|---|
| Français | se débattre |
| Deutsch | wild um sich schlagen |
| Ελληνικά | σφαδάζω sfadázo |
| Русский | разма́хивать razmáxivatʹ, маха́ть maxátʹ |
Talk about this word "flail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flail. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. flail. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flail "flail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flail.Cite this
@misc{flail_2026,
title = {flail},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flail},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
