quail1 /kweɪl 
/ ▸ noun (plural quail1 or plural quails)
1 a small short-tailed Old World game bird resembling a tiny partridge, typically having brown camouflaged plumage. Family Phasianidae: three genera, in particular Coturnix, and several species, e.g. the widespread migratory common quail (C. coturnix).
2 a small or medium-sized New World game bird, the male of which has distinctive facial markings. Family Phasianidae (or Odontophoridae): several genera and many species, including the bobwhite.
– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French quaille, from medieval Latin coacula (probably imitative of its call).
EnglishOxford Dictionary of English
