tailwise

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adverb

In the direction of the tail; tail first.

Scrabble 11
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Meanings

adverbtailwise (not comparable)
  1. not comparableIn the direction of the tail; tail first.

    If the Soviet missile were toppled, would it still go off if it hit sidewise or tailwise?

    1982, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services, Research and development, Title II, page 1216
    2 more examples

    No serrature of abdominal outline, but bony scales present or dermo-hæmal processes under true scales as figured above, overlapping and having short end pointing tailwise from pectoral to anal fin.

    1883, Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute, page 211

    It was at this point the plane gave its lurch and slid tailwise down into the water until its rear fuselage struck the sandy sea bed.

    2015, Chris Snell, The Shout

Origin

From tail + -wise.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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