1. Waste rock or mineral materials discarded in the process of mining or refining ore
   "Proper disposal of gangue and tailings is crucial for environmental protection in mining operations";
   - gangue

1. The posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
   "The dog wagged its tail happily"
    
2. Any projection that resembles the tail of an animal
   "The kite had a long tail streaming behind it"; "They waited at the tail end of the line";
   - tail end
    
3. The rear part of an aircraft
   "The mechanic inspected the tail assembly for any signs of damage";
   - tail assembly, empennage
    
4. The rear part of a ship
   "The ship's tail rose as it ploughed through the heavy seas";
   - stern, after part, quarter, poop
    
5. The time of the last part of something
   "the tail of the storm";
   - fag end [informal], tail end
    
6. (usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head
   "He called 'tails' as the coin was flipped"
    
7. A spy employed to follow someone and report their movements
   "The private investigator worked as a tail, tracking the suspect's daily routine";
   - shadow, shadower
    
8. [N. Amer, informal] The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
   "he deserves a good kick in the tail"; "He bruised his tail end falling down the stairs";
   - buttocks, nates [informal, technical], butt [N. Amer, informal], backside [informal], bum [Brit, informal], buns [N. Amer, informal], can [N. Amer, informal], fundament [informal], hindquarters [informal], hind end [informal], posterior [informal], rear [informal], rear end [informal], rump [informal], stern [informal], seat [informal], tail end [informal], tooshie [informal], tush [N. Amer, informal], bottom [informal], behind [informal], derriere [informal], patootie [US, informal], botty [informal], duff [N. Amer, informal], bahookie [UK, dialect, informal], booty [N. Amer, informal], heinie [US, informal], tushy [N. Amer, informal], derrière [informal]
    
9. [vulgar] Obscene term for female genitals
   "The comedian's use of the term 'tail' shocked some audience members";
    
10. [vulgar] Girls or women that are regarded as sexually desirable
    "The crude men at the bar kept talking about the tail they saw at the club";
    - totty [Brit, informal], tottie [Brit, informal]
     
11. (statistics) the part of a distribution most distant from the mode
    "The researcher focused on the tail of the distribution to analyse extreme events"

1. Remove or shorten the tail of an animal
   "They docked the puppy's tail"; "The breeder tailed the lambs";
   - dock, bob
    
2. Remove the stalk of fruits or berries
   "She tailed the strawberries before making jam"
    
3. Follow someone closely and secretly, especially to monitor their movements or activities
   "The undercover officer taild the suspect through the city";
   - shadow

Type of: appendage, back, body part, cut, end, ending, female genital organ, female genitalia, female genitals, follower, outgrowth, pinch, process, projection, rear, reverse, spy, top, verso

Antonym: head

Part of: body, coin, craniate, fuselage, ship, torso, trunk, vertebrate

Encyclopedia: Tailings