English

swingletail

From swingle + tail.

A compound of swingle + tail

Proto-Germanic *swingiljō

Proto-West Germanic *swingillju

Old English swingel ‘whip, scourge’

Middle English swingel

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 The thrasher, or fox shark.

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

Etymograph / swingletail