Etymograph

English

hangtail

From hang + tail, from the way a dog will leave its tail drooping or hanging when frightened or sad.

A compound of hang + tail

Middle English hangen ‘to hang’

English hang

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

adv With the tail hanging limply.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / hangtail