entail
Definitions
To involve or make necessary as a consequence
使成为必要，必然涉及，需要
(law) to limit the inheritance of property to a fixed line of heirs
（法律）限定（财产）继承
(law) a restriction fixing the line of inheritance of an estate
（法律）限定继承（的财产安排）
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveden- (into) + tail (cut, here a 'cut' = a limit) = 'to cut into a fixed shape.' It began in law: to entail an estate was to cut its inheritance into a rigid line of heirs. Fixing the boundaries of something means fixing what it must include — which became the everyday sense: to involve or require as a necessary consequence.
Root tail still carries 12 more wordsWhy It Means This
Entail's surprising history is in the law of inheritance: an 'entailed' estate had its succession cut into a fixed, unbreakable line (famously in Jane Austen). To cut the boundaries of something is to fix what it must include — so today 'X entails Y' means Y is built into the very shape of X, an unavoidable part of it.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Starting a business entails a lot of risk and hard work.
- 2.
Do you understand what the new role entails?
- 3.
The estate was entailed, so only his eldest son could inherit it.
- 4.
Caring for a newborn entails many sleepless nights.
Easily Confused
entail vs involve vs require — all three can translate as '涉及/需要,' but entail stresses a necessary, built-in consequence (the job entails travel = travel is inseparable from it). involve is broader and looser (the project involves many people). require points to a demand or condition (the visa requires a passport).