Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Tail \Tail\, v. i.
   1. (Arch.) To hold by the end; -- said of a timber when it
      rests upon a wall or other support; -- with in or into.

   2. (Naut.) To swing with the stern in a certain direction; --
      said of a vessel at anchor; as, this vessel tails down
      stream.

   {Tail on}. (Naut.) See {Tally on}, under {Tally}.