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roost·er-tail (rstər-tāl′)

intr.v. roos·ter-tailed, roos·ter-tail·ing, roos·ter-tails

To move or turn in such a way as to project a rooster tail: "I got the car cranked and we rooster-tailed out of there" (Roy Blount).

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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