a joint formed of one or more such tenons fitting tightly within corresponding mortises.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.
Carpentry. to join or fit together by means of a dovetail or dovetails.
4.
to join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.
Origin
1555-65; so named from its shape
Related forms
dovetailer, noun
Examples from the web for dovetail
So closely do the gradations of culture dovetail into one another.
For one thing, the agencies keep their own lists of investigations, which do not completely dovetail.
For best results, the magnetic properties of the tape must dovetail with the characteristics of the recorder.
In addition, the film is framed by opening and closing coffee-shop scenes that turn out to dovetail.
The days of people reading political books that don't hawk or dovetail with their politics are history.
dovetail chisel made specifically for cutting dovetail joints.
British Dictionary definitions for dovetail
dovetail
/ˈdʌvˌteɪl/
noun
1.
a wedge-shaped tenon
2.
Also called dovetail joint. a joint containing such tenons
verb
3.
(transitive) to join by means of dovetails
4.
to fit or cause to fit together closely or neatly: he dovetailed his arguments to the desired conclusion
Word Origin and History for dovetail
late 16c. (n.), 1650s (v.), from dove (n.) + tail. So called from resemblance of shape in the tenon or mortise of the joints to that of the bird’s tailfeather display. Related: Dovetailed.
Slang definitions & phrases for dovetail
dovetail
verb
To say something linked and sequential: Let me dovetail on what you just said(1970s+ Army)