FLAIL


Meaning of FLAIL in English

n.

Pronunciation: ' fl ā l

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English fleil, flail, partly from Old English *flegel (whence Old English fligel ), from Late Latin flagellum flail, from Latin, whip & partly from Anglo-French flael, from Late Latin flagellum ― more at FLAGELLATE

Date: before 12th century

: a hand threshing implement consisting of a wooden handle at the end of which a stouter and shorter stick is so hung as to swing freely

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.