Word of the Day - 07/31/26
entail
/ɛn'teɪl/(v.): impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result
Successfully completing the project will entail many long hours of work.
(v.): limit the inheritance of property to a specific class of heirs
The old will tried to entail the estate to the male line only.
(n.): something that is entailed, as an estate
The family lived on the entail for generations.
(n.): the rule of descent itself settled for an estate
The entail prevented the land from being sold outside the family.
Word Origin
The word 'entail' originates from the Anglo-French 'entailler' and Old French 'entaillier', meaning 'to cut into' or 'to carve'. It is composed of the prefix 'en-' (meaning 'in' or 'into') and 'tailler' (meaning 'to cut'). The legal sense of 'entail' (to settle property on a succession of heirs so that it cannot be alienated) evolved from the concept of 'cutting' or 'limiting' the inheritance.
Words with similar origins include 'tailor' (from 'tailler', to cut, referring to one who cuts cloth), 'retail' (from 're-' + 'tailler', literally 'to cut again' or 'to cut into pieces'), and 'detail' (from Old French 'detaillier', to cut in pieces).