Forms: α. 4–6 entaile, 5 entayle, 7– entail. β. 5–6 intaile, -yle, 7–8 intail. [f. EN-1 + AF. tailé TAIL a. or taile sb., entail. In legal Anglo-Lat. (16th c.) intalliāre. See further under TAIL a.]
1. Law. trans. To convert (an estate) into a ‘fee tail’ (feudum talliatum); to settle (land, an estate, etc.) on a number of persons in succession, so that it cannot be bequeathed at pleasure by any one possessor. Const. on, to, upon.
1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 390. Lande entaylid by mannys lawe.
1466. Mann. & Househ. Exp. (1841), 341. The said Herry schalle bye and entayle v. markes worthe of londe to hym and his eyres.
1495. Act 11 Hen. VII., c. 60. Pream., Londes and tenementis whiche were intailed to him and to his Auncestres.
1590. Greene, Never too late (1600), 55. What Lands to sel, how they were either tied by Statute, or Intaild?
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., I. xiv. 45. The old man being onely Tenant for life, and the lands entaild on one young Gentleman.
1670. Milton, Hist. Eng., VI. Wks. (1851), 241. An old craft of the Clergy to secure thir Church Lands, by entailing them on some Saint.
1765. Act 5 Geo. III., c. 26. Pream., [They] should convey, settle, and intail the lands so to be purchased.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1858), 87. The house and park … were entailed on a distant cousin.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Aristocr., Wks. (Bohn), II. 86. They cannot sell them [houses], because they are entailed.
2. transf. and fig. To bestow or confer as if by entail; to cause to descend to a designated series of possessors; to bestow as an inalienable possession.
1509. Hawes, Examp. Virt., xii. 240. The other gardyn is celestyall … And is entayled to vs in generall.
1513. More, Edw. V. (1641), 3. The Crowne of the Realme … [was] entayled to the Duke of Yorke and his Heires.
1589. Pappe w. Hatchet, B. Neuer entaile thy wit to the eldest.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., I. i. 194. I here entayle The Crowne to thee and to thine Heires for euer.
1630. Prynne, God No Impostor, 2. The benefits of the Gospell are intayled vpon them alone.
1649. Selden, Laws Eng., I. xii. (1739), 22. Nor then had the Pope the whole power herein intailed to his Triple Crown.
1682. Burnet, Rights Princes, ii. 57. Bishops might have entailed their Sees to their Kinred or Friends.
1703. Pope, Thebais, 111. Thou Fury, then, some lasting curse entail.
1752. Fielding, Amelia, II. iii. Can I bear to think of entailing beggary on the posterity of my Amelia?
1800. Colquhoun, Comm. Thames, Pref. 7. Intails distress and obloquy on an innocent offspring.
1870. Lowell, Study Wind., 214. Luther … entailed upon us the responsibility of private judgement.
† b. In occasional uses: To make (a person) ‘heir’ to a possession, condition, etc.; to cause a person to become permanently (something). Obs.
1627–77. Feltham, Resolves, I. xxxvi. 61. Either of these intail a mans mind to misery.
a. 1659. Osborn, Characters, &c. (1673), 639. For he did undo By writing them, what Wit entayl’d thee to.
1683. Penn. Archives, I. 79. Amount to soe vast a sume as will entail me yor Perpetuall Debtor.
† 3. To attach as an inseparable appendage to, upon, an estate or inheritance; hence gen. to ‘tack on,’ attach. Obs.
1593. Nashe, 4 Lett. Confut., 63. It hath pleased M. Printer … to intaile a vaine title to my name.
1607. Heywood, Woman Kilde, Wks. 1874, II. 94. All his mad trickes were to his land intailed, And you are heyre to all.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), II. x. 17. Upon the latter of which the Musulman empire is entayld.
1669. Bunyan, Holy Citie, 89. His Name was always so entailed to that Doctrine.
1713. Derham, Phys. Theol., IV. 188. The allotment of Food is … entailed to the very Constitution and Nature of Animals.
4. To impose (inconvenience, expense, labor) upon a person. Chiefly said of circumstances or actions; hence occas. of personal agents.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., IV. xix. (1669), 308–9. Yet Custom has so Entail’d some ways of Expence upon some Stations in the World.
1771. Junius Lett., xlii. 223. What an enormous expense is entailed … upon this unhappy country.
1826. Scott, Provinc. Antiq., 113. Which shall, so long as the building stands, entail disgrace on all who have had to do with it.
1846. Prescott, Ferd. & Is., I. i. 95. The long wars … which a disputed succession entailed on the country.
1851. Gladstone, Glean., IV. lxi. 42. I … shall not entail upon your Lordship the charge of handing to and fro replications and rejoinders.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. § 16. 104. The great amount of labour which this [assistance] might entail upon him.
5. Simply. To bring on by way of necessary consequence. Of premises: To involve logically, necessitate (a particular conclusion).
1829. Southey, Sir T. More, I. 267. A conquest which brought with it no evil and entailed no regret.
1839. E. D. Clarke, Trav. Russia, 134/1. The scheme … was found to entail greater evils than those he was labouring to put down.
1854. Thackeray, Newcomes, I. 32. The weight of business which this present affliction entails.
1856. Dove, Logic Chr. Faith, Introd. 4. That failure would not entail the conclusion that [etc.].
