de-tail

/diːˈteɪl/

verb

To remove the tail from.

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Meanings

verbde-tail (third-person singular simple present de-tails, present participle de-tailing, simple past and past participle de-tailed)

present singular third person de-tails · participle present de-tailing · participle past de-tailed · past de-tailed

  1. transitiveTo remove the tail from.

    "The fish has been beheaded, de-tailed, de-boned and is ready for de-frying pan," his Dad announced in a really bad Italian accent.

    2014, Cameron Elliott, Camp Hero: Where Time Travel Began, page 63
    1 more example

    In addition, six or eight "freezer-boats," which originally had been commissioned for general fishing, were modified by installing improved refrigeration, thus enabling the whole de-tailing and freezing process to be carried out on board.

    1962, Fisheries Bulletin, numbers 1-11, page 69

Origin

From de- + tail.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

de-tail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-tail

MLA

“de-tail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-tail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “de-tail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-tail.

Source: de-tail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.