'whiptail' is a compound word formed from 'whip' and 'tail', where 'whip' refers to something long and flexible, and 'tail' refers to the appendage at the rear of an animal.

'whiptail' was formed in modern English by combining 'whip' and 'tail' to describe animals or things with long, slender tails.

Initially, it referred to animals with long, whip-like tails, but it was later extended to describe a plant disorder with similar visual characteristics.