dovetail Hear it!

dovetail definition

dove·tail (duv′tāl′)

noun

  1. a part or thing shaped like a dove's tail; specif., a projecting, wedge-shaped part (tenon) that fits into a corresponding cut-out space (mortise) to form an interlocking joint
  2. a joint thus formed

transitive verb

  1. to join or fasten together by means of dovetails
  2. to piece together (facts, etc.) so as to make a logically connected whole

intransitive verb

to fit together closely or logically

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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