heavy-tailed
|heavy-tailed|
/ˈhɛviˌteɪld/
having a large/weighty tail (literal or probabilistic)
Etymology
'heavy-tailed' is a modern English compound formed from 'heavy' + 'tail', where 'heavy' meant 'weighing a lot' and 'tail' meant 'the rear appendage or the low-probability tail of a distribution'.
'heavy' originates from Old English 'hefig' meaning 'weighty' and 'tail' from Old English 'tægl'/'tægel' meaning 'the posterior part'; the compound 'heavy-tailed' is a relatively recent formation (20th century) used especially in probability and statistics to describe distributions.
Initially the components described literal weight ('heavy' + 'tail'); over time the compound took on a figurative technical meaning in statistics to describe distributions with 'heavy' (large) tails (i.e., relatively high probability mass far from the center).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in probability and statistics: describing a distribution whose tail probabilities decay slower than exponentially, so extreme values (very large magnitudes) occur with comparatively high probability.
Financial returns often show heavy-tailed behavior, meaning extreme losses happen more often than a normal distribution would predict.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
literally having a tail that is relatively heavy (in weight) or substantial.
The domesticated cat looked heavy-tailed after plumping up for winter.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/18 13:40