hammertail

H4A1M3M3E1R1T1A1I1L1

noun

Any of the genus Efferia of large, often dull-colored robber flies, the males of which have a mallet-like appendage at the ends of their abdomens.

OriginEnglish tail ← Middle English tayl ← Old English tæġl →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounhammertail (plural hammertails)

plural hammertails

  1. Any of the genus Efferia of large, often dull-colored robber flies, the males of which have a mallet-like appendage at the ends of their abdomens.

Origin

  1. Englishhammer
  2. Proto-Germanic*taglą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*tagl
  4. Old Englishtæġl
  5. Middle Englishtayl
  6. Englishtail
  7. Englishhammertail

From hammer + tail.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hammertail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammertail

MLA

“hammertail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammertail. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hammertail,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammertail.

Source: hammertail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.