Fantails

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of bird with a distinctively fan-shaped tail used for display and maneuvering during flight
2. Referring to multiple species or individuals of birds known for their wide, fanned tails that aid in navigation and courtship
3. Characterizing a group of birds exhibiting the prominent feature of a tail that spreads out like a fan, enhancing their aerial acrobatics

Etymology: "Fantails" is the plural of "fantail," a compound of "fan" and "tail" for anything with a tail spread out like a fan. "Fan" traces back through Old English "fann" to Latin "vannus," a winnowing basket, the flat, broad object used to separate grain from chaff, and "tail" comes from Old English "tægel." The bird sense is most familiar in the New Zealand fantail, a small insect-eating bird whose genus name, "Rhipidura," combines Greek "rhipis," meaning fan, with "oura," meaning tail.

Synonyms: tail, feather