Join free

tale

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

tale¹

  • /ˈteɪl/ Canada, US, UK
  • [ˈtʰeɪ̯ɫ] Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈtæɪ̯l/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈtæ̝ɪ̯ɫ] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈtel/ Scotland
  • [ˈteɫ] Scotland
  • /ˈteːl/ India
  • /ˈteːl/ South Wales

Sounds like tail · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English tale, from Old English talu (“tale, series, calculation”), from Proto-West Germanic *talu, from Proto-Germanic *talō (“calculation, number”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to reckon, count”).

Cognate with West Frisian taal (“speech, language”), Dutch taal (“language, speech”), German Zahl (“number, figure”), Danish tale (“speech”), Icelandic tala (“speech, talk, discourse, number, figure”), Latin dolus (“guile, deceit, fraud”), Ancient Greek δόλος (dólos, “wile, bait”), Albanian ndjell (“to lure”), Northern Kurdish til (“finger”), Old Armenian տող (toł, “row”). Related to tell, talk.

noun tales

  1. A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story. the Canterbury Tales
  2. A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration. the ignorant, […] who measure by tale, and not by weight
  3. slang The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim.
  4. An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie. Don't tell tales!
  5. obsolete Number; tally; quota. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
  6. obsolete Account; estimation; regard; heed.
  7. obsolete Speech; language.
  8. obsolete A speech; a statement; talk; conversation; discourse.
  9. obsolete A count; declaration.
  10. archaic, rare A number of things considered as an aggregate; sum.
  11. archaic, rare A report of any matter; a relation; a version. […] birds […] are aptest by their voice to tell tales what they find; and likewise by the motion of their flight to express the same.

tale²

  • /ˈteɪl/ Canada, US, UK
  • [ˈtʰeɪ̯ɫ] Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈtæɪ̯l/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈtæ̝ɪ̯ɫ] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈtel/ Scotland
  • [ˈteɫ] Scotland
  • /ˈteːl/ India
  • /ˈteːl/ South Wales

Sounds like tail · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English talen, from Old English talian (“to count, calculate, reckon”), from Proto-West Germanic *talōn, from Proto-Germanic *talōną (“to count”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to count, reckon, aim, calculate, adjust”).

Cognate with Dutch talen (“to long, care”), German zahlen (“to pay”), Swedish tala (“to speak, talk”), Icelandic tala (“to talk”).

verb tales · taling · taled

  1. dialectal, obsolete To speak; discourse; tell tales.
  2. Scotland, dialectal To reckon; consider (someone) to have something.

tale³

  • /ˈteɪl/ Canada, US, UK
  • [ˈtʰeɪ̯ɫ] Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈtæɪ̯l/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈtæ̝ɪ̯ɫ] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈtel/ Scotland
  • [ˈteɫ] Scotland
  • /ˈteːl/ India
  • /ˈteːl/ South Wales

Sounds like tail · Rhymes with -eɪl

noun tales

  1. alternative Alternative form of tael.tael

Talk about this word