Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TRAIL, v.t. [W. rhel, a flagging, a trailing; rhelyw, a trail; Sp. traillar, to level the ground; trailla, a leash, packthread, an instrument for leveling the ground; W. trail, a drawing over, a trail, a turn, as if from traigyl, a turn or revolution; treilliaw, to turn, to roll, to traverse, to dredge; Gaelic triallam, to go, to walk, (qu. travel;) Port. tralho, a fishing net, as if from drawing, L. traho; D. treillen, to draw, to tow; Norm. trailler, to search for. The Welsh seems to accord with troll; the others appear to be formed on drag, L. traho. Qu.]

1. To hunt by the track. [See the Norman, supra.]
2. To draw along the ground. Trail your pikes. And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along. Dryden. They shall not trail me through the streets / Like a wild beast. Milton. That long behind he trails his pompous robe. Pope.
3. To lower; as, to trail arms.
4. In America, to tread down grass by walking through; to lay flat; as, to trail grass.