tailpiece

[ teyl-pees ]

noun

1. a piece added at the end; an end piece or appendage.
2. Printing. a small decorative design at the end of a chapter or at the bottom of a page.
3. (in a musical instrument of the viol family) a triangular piece of wood, usually of ebony, to which the lower ends of the strings are fastened.
4. Also called tail beam. Building Trades. a relatively short beam or rafter inserted in a wall by tailing and supported by a header.

tailpiece

/ ˈteɪlˌpiːs /

noun

1. an extension or appendage that lengthens or completes something
2. printing a decorative design at the foot of a page or end of a chapter
3. music a piece of wood to which the strings of a violin, etc, are attached at their lower end. It is suspended between the taut strings and the bottom of the violin by a piece of gut or metal
4. Also calledtail beam architect a short beam or rafter that has one end embedded in a wall

Word History and Origins

Origin of tailpiece¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; tail ¹ + piece

Example Sentences

The sink stopper and the control rod that makes the stopper go up and down are choke points within the tailpiece pipe just under the sink.

From Seattle Times

One benefit of removing the stopper is you can clean the sidewalls of the drainpipe tailpiece that extends from the sink down to the P trap under the sink.

From Seattle Times

For the solo, John simply wailed on the guitar, executing a series of power chords as Douglas, sitting nearby, reached over and worked the instrument's Bigsby tailpiece.

From Salon

You can also unscrew the nut on the back of the tailpiece, remove the lever that lifts the stopper and clear out all the obstructions.

From Washington Post

The string section—violins and violas, cellos and basses—are composed almost entirely of carbon compounds: Wooden belly, fingerboard, sound post, pegs and tailpiece; gut strings, horsehair bow and plastic chin rest.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• cartoon
• decoration
• depiction
• engraving
• etching
• image
• painting
• photo
• photograph
• picture
• sketch
• snapshot
• vignette