fantail

UK: /ˈfænˌteɪl/ US: (fan′tāl′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fan•tail  (fan′tāl′), n. 

1. a tail, end, or part shaped like a fan.
2. one of a breed of domestic pigeons, having a fan-shaped tail.
3. any of various small birds having fanlike tails, as the Old World flycatchers of the genus Rhipidura and the American wood warblers of the genus Euthlypis.
4. See fantail goldfish. 
5. Architecture [Building Trades, Archit.] a structure or structural member having a number of radiating parts, as an arch centering.
6. [Naut.]
   • the part of a rounded stern extending abaft the aftermost perpendicular;
     rounded counter.
   • the area within this.
7. Dialect Terms [Western U.S.] a mustang.

adj. 

8. Food [Cookery.] (of shrimp) shelled, split almost through, and flattened slightly before cooking.

• fan¹ + tail¹ 1720–30

fan′-tailed′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fantail / ˈfænˌteɪl/ noun

1. a breed of domestic pigeon having a large tail that can be opened like a fan
2. any Old World flycatcher of the genus Rhipidura, of Australia, New Zealand, and SE Asia, having a broad fan-shaped tail
3. a tail shaped like an outspread fan
4. an auxiliary sail on the upper portion of a windmill that turns the mill to face the wind
5. a curved part of the deck projecting aft of the sternpost of a ship

ˈfan-ˌtailed adjective