What does "entail" mean?
Entail: Delicately carved ornamental work; intaglio. [Obs.] "A work of rich entail." Spenser.
Additional senses
- 2.To settle or fix inalienably on a person or thing, or on a person and his descendants or a certain line of descendants; -- said especially of an estate; to bestow as an heritage. Allowing them to entail their estates. Hume. I here entail The crown to thee and to thine heirs forever. Shak.
- 3.To appoint hereditary possessor. [Obs.] To entail him and his heirs unto the crown. Shak.
- 4.To cut or carve in a ornamental way. [Obs.] Entailed with curious antics. Spenser.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00