Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
QUAIL
I. noun (plural quail or quails)
Etymology: Middle English quaile, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin quaccula, of imitative origin
Date: 14th century
any of numerous small gallinaceous birds: as, an Old World migratory game bird ( Coturnix coturnix ), bobwhite ,
II. verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle Dutch quelen
Date: 15th century
intransitive verb
1. wither , decline , to give way ; falter , to recoil in dread or terror ; cower , transitive verb to make fearful, see: recoil