vail1
/veɪl
/verb [with object] archaic
1Take off or lower (one’s hat or crown) as a token of respect or submission.Turning himself towards the noblemen that sat on a form placed before the scaffold, he vailed his hat....
- He vailed his bonnet to no one but a judge.
- Vailing his cap, like them, to the Queen's representatives, he covered himself when he looked at the Pope's delegate.
1.1 [no object] Take off one’s hat or otherwise show respect or submission to someone.
Origin
Middle English (originally in the sense 'lower (one's eyes, weapon, banner, etc.) as a sign of submission'): shortening of obsolete avale, from Old French avaler 'to lower', from a val 'down' (literally 'in the valley').
Rhymes
Vail2
/vāl
/A town in northern Colorado, a noted ski resort; population 4,768 (est. 2008).