tale en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- [ˈtæ̝ɪ̯ɫ] (Australia, New-Zealand)
- audio Queensland
- /ˈteɪl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈteːl/ (South-Wales)
- /ˈteːl/ (India)
- tāl
- [ˈteɫ] (Scotland)
- /ˈtæɪ̯l/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈtel/ (Scotland)
- [ˈtʰeɪ̯ɫ] (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
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.
Meanings
-
A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.
And every shepherd tells his tale Under the hawthorn in the dale.
1631, John Milton, L'Allegro:the Canterbury Tales
But can you guess what there was in the box? Why, it was a calf's tail, and if the calf's tail had been longer this tale would have been longer too.
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 214:Barla Von: What's this? One of the Earth-clan? Ah, a very famous one, yes? You are the one called Shepard. Barla Von: The tale of how you survived the great tragedy on Akuze is truly remarkable. I am amazed each time I hear it.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
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A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration.
the ignorant, […] who measure by tale, and not by weight
1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, Book I, Preface, §4:In packing, they keep a just tale of the number that every hogshead containeth ...
1602, Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwall:They proceeded with some rigour, these Custodiars; took written inventories, clapt-on seals, exacted everywhere strict tale and measure
1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 5, Twelfth Century:
- (slang) The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim.
-
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!
“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
-
(obsolete) Number; tally; quota.
Both number twice a day the milky dams And once she takes the tale of all the lambs.
1697, John Dryden, The Works of Virgil, Pastoral III: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.
1611, King James Version, Exodus 5:8:To appease the angry god, two hundred children of the noblest families were picked out for sacrifice, and the tale of victims was swelled by not less than three hundred more who volunteered to die for the fatherland.
1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 1, page 237:
- (obsolete) Account; estimation; regard; heed.
- (obsolete) Speech; language.
- (obsolete) A speech; a statement; talk; conversation; discourse.
- (obsolete) A count; declaration.
- (archaic, rare) A number of things considered as an aggregate; sum.
-
(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.
1605, Francis Bacon, Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Human, Volume I, Chapter IX:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tales | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
talecarrier · Banbury tale · live to tell the tale · talelike · tall tale · tale of woe · traveller's tale · talebearer · folk tale · blabtale · taleable · taleful · shaggy dog tale · aftertale · tell-tale · midtale · tale-teller · tale as old as time · fairy-tale · blab-tale · tell tale · Milesian tale · telltale · betall · fairytale · frame tale · shaggy-dog tale · thereby hangs a tale · old wives' tale · foretale · carrytale · tattletale · tell tales out of school · talebearing · taletelling · fish tale · tale-bearer · morality tale · tale of the tape · taleteller · telltale compass · tell tales · taleless · talebook · fairy tale · tale bearer · tell its own tale · talesman · tell-tale-tit · folktale · spin a tale · cautionary tale · dead men tell no tales · talemonger · tenmantale · fairy-tale ending
Translations (206)
io rakonto (type of story) · mn үлгэр (type of story) · ro poveste (type of story) · tg достон (type of story) · orv повѣсть (type of story) · hy պատմություն (type of story) · hy լեգենդ (type of story) · sl zgodba (type of story) · be апо́весць (type of story) · cu повѣсть (type of story) · da eventyr (type of story) · km តំណាល (type of story) · nap cunto (type of story) · is saga (type of story) · ps حکايت (type of story) · sv historia (type of story) · sh при̏повије̄ст (type of story) · ru ска́зка (type of story) · el ιστορία (type of story) · ur داسْتان (type of story) · sh при̑ча (type of story) · sv saga (type of story) · id hikayat (type of story) · sh prȉpovijētka (type of story) · nl verhaaltje (type of story) · yue 故事 (type of story) · da fabel (type of story) · lo ນິທານ (type of story) · uk ро́зповідь (type of story) · sq rrëfenjë (type of story) · de Geschichte (type of story) · kk хикаят (type of story) · enm storie (type of story) · fa-ira حِکایَت (type of story) · sh при̏повије̄тка (type of story) · fa-ira قِصِّه (type of story) · nb historie (type of story) · lmo cunt (type of story) · twf łácianą (type of story) · oc conte (type of story) · scn storia (type of story) · uz ertak (type of story) · lmo stòria (type of story) · ja 物語 (type of story) · tt әкият (type of story) · uz hikoya (type of story) · la fābella (type of story) · zza estanık (type of story) · zza kehani (type of story) · da fortælling (type of story) · evn нимңакан (type of story) · zu inganekwane (type of story) · es conseja (type of story) · sh prȉpovijēst (type of story) · vi truyện (type of story) · uz choʻpchak (type of story) · lv stāsts (type of story) · sq përrallë (type of story) · hu történet (type of story) · ar حِكَايَة (type of story) · fa-ira رِوایَت (type of story) · sa कथा (type of story) · grc μῦθος (type of story) · cy chwedl (type of story) · uk істо́рія (type of story) · ar قِصَّة (type of story) · got 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻 (type of story) · sk rozprávka (type of story) · ru сказа́ние (type of story) · ru исто́рия (type of story) · ps قصه (type of story) · ru при́тча (type of story) · es historia (type of story) · ug چۆچەك (type of story) · ota افسانه (type of story) · id kisah (type of story) · ota اسطوره (type of story) · ur نَقْل (type of story) · arz حكاية (type of story) · ja コント (type of story) · it favola (type of story) · uga 𐎗𐎂𐎎 (type of story) · lo ນິພົນ (type of story) · ru были́на (type of story) · fr conte (type of story) · tk hekaýa (type of story) · ca conte (type of story) · kk ертек (type of story) · ug ھېكايە (type of story) · kg ngana (type of story) · eve нимкан (type of story) · hy բիլինա (type of story) · ru по́весть (type of story) · th เรื่องราว (type of story) · ru расска́з (type of story) · uga 𐎎𐎒𐎔𐎗 (type of story) · bg по́вест (type of story) · tyz tuyện (type of story) · pt história (type of story) · fi tarina (type of story) · fi satu (type of story) · be апо́весьць (type of story) · hi क़िस्सा (type of story) · ja 説話 (type of story) · zza sanık (type of story) · vi chuyện (type of story) · ltg stuoškys (type of story) · scn cuntu (type of story) · he מַעֲשִׂיָּה (type of story) · tg ҳикоя (type of story) · az hekayə (type of story) · izh jute (type of story) · es cuento (type of story) · cu ⱂⱃⰹⱅⱏⱍⰰ (type of story) · hi कहानी (type of story) · be апавяда́нне (type of story) · sk príbeh (type of story) · it storia (type of story) · pt conto (type of story) · ckb چیرۆک (type of story) · cmn 故事 (type of story) · st ditshomo (type of story) · oc fabla (type of story) · fa-cls قِصَّه (type of story) · kk хикая (type of story) · cmn 神話 /神话 (type of story) · it fiaba (type of story) · uk по́вість (type of story) · af vertelling (type of story) · sq tregim (type of story) · eo fablo (type of story) · ur قِصَّہ (type of story) · nb fortelling (type of story) · hi हिकायत (type of story) · bg при́казка (type of story) · nb eventyr (type of story) · tg қисса (type of story) · ps داستان (type of story) · ba хикәйә (type of story) · hu elbeszélés (type of story) · cs pohádka (type of story) · mk сказна (type of story) · eo rakonto (type of story) · ur کَہانی (type of story) · tr hikâye (type of story) · ky жомок (type of story) · ko 이야기 (type of story) · sh prȋča (type of story) · de Erzählung (type of story) · nl vertelsel (type of story) · ms hikayat (type of story) · hy առակ (type of story) · ca faula (type of story) · cs příběh (type of story) · twf pìwcìayána (type of story) · km និទាន (type of story) · lo ກະຖາ (type of story) · gld нингман (type of story) · sv berättelse (type of story) · enm historie (type of story) · pt fábula (type of story) · af storie (type of story) · be гісто́рыя (type of story) · de Sage (type of story) · lo ນິຍາຍ (type of story) · lmo fàvola (type of story) · hi दास्तान (type of story) · bg исто́рия (type of story) · ru ба́сня (type of story) · fa-ira داسْتان (type of story) · tg ривоят (type of story) · it storiella (type of story) · gd sgeul (type of story) · ota داستان (type of story) · ga scéal (type of story) · it racconto (type of story) · nan-hbl 故事 (type of story) · cu притъча (type of story) · st tshomo (type of story) · ru са́га (type of story) · fa-cls دَاسْتَان (type of story) · lv pasaka (type of story) · ms kisah (type of story) · ur حِکایَت (type of story) · th นิทาน (type of story) · fa-cls حِکَایَت (type of story) · kk әңгіме (type of story) · tk erteki (type of story) · sk bájka (type of story) · tyz ca tuyện (type of story) · zza qısa (type of story) · hy ավանդություն (type of story) · ky аңгеме (type of story) · de Märchen (type of story) · ru ба́йка (type of story) · gd sgeulachd (type of story) · hy հեքիաթ (type of story) · af verhaal (type of story) · ltg puorsoka (type of story) · hy առասպել (type of story) · th อาขยาน (type of story) · eo fabelo (type of story) · la fābula (type of story) · ka მოთხრობა (type of story) · pl opowieść (type of story) · hu mese (type of story)