entail

[ verb en-teyl; noun en-teyl, en-teyl ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence:

   a loss entailing no regret.

2. to impose as a burden:

   Success entails hard work.

3. Law. to limit the passage of (real estate) to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be transferred or bequeathed to anyone else.
4. Law. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.

noun

1. the act of entailing.
2. Law. the state of being entailed.
3. any predetermined order of succession, as to an office.
4. Law. something that is entailed, as an estate.
5. Law. the rule of descent settled for an estate.

entail

/ ɪnˈteɪl /

verb

1. to bring about or impose by necessity; have as a necessary consequence

   this task entails careful thought

2. property law to restrict (the descent of an estate) to a designated line of heirs
3. logic to have as a necessary consequence

noun

1. property law
   1. the restriction imposed by entailing an estate
   2. an estate that has been entailed

Derived Forms

• enˈtailer, noun

Other Words From

• en·tail·er noun
• en·tail·ment noun
• pre·en·tail verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of entail¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English entailen (verb), entail (noun), equivalent to en- ¹ + tail ²( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of entail¹

C14: entaillen , from en- ¹+ taille limitation, tail ²

Example Sentences

What exactly those leadership qualities might entail was left vague.

From Los Angeles Times

“If we bring everyone on the planet into an American lifestyle,” he said, “there first off might not be much planet left, and at the very least, the kind of degradation that might entail would be tremendous and horrifying.”

From Salon

The more a nation invests in border security, the more attractive it becomes to traffickers, because greater risks entail greater rewards.

From Salon

A drastic increase in deportations would likely entail a large expansion in the immigration court system, which has been beset by backlogs.

From BBC

In its place, he proposed "massive reform," but did not offer details on what they would entail.

From Salon

Related Words

• bring about
• call for
• encompass
• involve
• lead to
• necessitate
• require