English
feathertail
From feather + tail.
Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’
…
Proto-Germanic *feþrō
Proto-West Germanic *feþru
Old English feþer
Middle English fethere ‘a wing feather’
English feather
Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to tear, fray, shred’
…
Proto-Germanic *taglą ‘hair, fiber’
Proto-West Germanic *tagl
Old English tæġel
Middle English tail
English tail
Today it means
noun A species of possum, (Distoechurus pennatus).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / feathertail