Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French trailler to tow, from Vulgar Latin tragulare, from Latin tragula sledge, dragnet; akin to Latin trahere to pull
Pronunciation : 'trA(&)l
Function : verb
Date : 14th century
1. track, footprints; path, way. follow; drag, tow. trail head.
2. To hunt by the track; to track.
3. To draw or drag, as along the ground.
4. To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle.
5. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat.
6. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon.
7. To be drawn out in length; to follow after.
8. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.
9. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail.
10. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains.
11. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke.
12. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train.
13. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle.
14. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis.
15. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep.
16. That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered.
17. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun.
18. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country a track or mark left by something that has passed; "there as a trail of blood"; "a tear left its trail on her cheek" drag loosely along a surface; allow to sweep the ground; "The toddler was trailing his pants"; "She trained her long scarf behind her" hang down so as to drag along the ground; "The bride's veiled trailed along the ground" move, proceed, or walk draggingly pr slowly; "John trailed behind behis class mates"; "The Mercedes trailed behind the horse cart".
19. 1. A trail is a rough path across open country or through forests. He was following a broad trail through the trees. = track.
20. A trail is a route along a series of paths or roads, often one that has been planned and marked out for a particular purpose. a large area of woodland with hiking and walking trails.
21. A trail is a series of marks or other signs of movement or other activities left by someone or something. Everywhere in the house was a sticky trail of orange juice.
22. If you trail someone or something, you follow them secretly, often by finding the marks or signs that they have left. Two detectives were trailing him I trailed her to a shop in Kensington. = follow.
23. You can refer to all the places that a politician visits in the period before an election as their campaign trail. During a recent speech on the campaign trail, he was interrupted by hecklers.
24. If you trail something or it trails, it hangs down loosely behind you as you move along. She came down the stairs slowly, trailing the coat behind her He let his fingers trail in the water.
25. If someone trails somewhere, they move there slowly, without any energy or enthusiasm, often following someone else. He trailed through the wet Manhattan streets.
26. If a person or team in a sports match or other contest is trailing, they have a lower score than their opponents. He scored again, leaving Dartford trailing 3-0 at the break The polls showed the Tories trailing behind the Government by 17 per cent.
27. If you are on the trail of a person or thing, you are trying hard to find them or find out about them. The police were hot on his trail.
28. to blaze a trail: see:
blaze see also nature trail, paper trail. Appalachian National Scenic Trail Chisholm Trail Ho Chi Minh Trail Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Oregon Trail Santa Fe Trail Trail of Tears.