tale
//ˈteːl//
Forms
- Plural
- tales
Definitions
1.A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.
- 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.
2.A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration.
- In packing, they keep a just tale of the number that every hogshead containeth ..
3.The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim.(slang)
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.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2401
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
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”).