the.com/dovetail joint

means A joinery technique where interlocking trapezoidal pins and tails are cut into two pieces of wood so they lock together without nails or glue, resisting being pulled apart.

from Named simply for what it looks like: the fanned-out shape of the cut pins resembles a dove's spread tail feathers. The term shows up in woodworking usage by the 1600s, describing a technique far older than the name itself — joints of this interlocking trapezoidal style have been found in ancient Egyptian furniture and Chinese joinery, invented independently because the physics of 'wedge that can't slide back out' is just good engineering wherever wood and tools meet.