Word
tale
US/ˈteɪɫ/
UK/tˈeɪl/
Definitions
01a story
n. a story about exciting, imaginary, or historical events.
n. a narrative of events, especially one that is imaginatively recounted or legendary in nature.
“My grandfather used to tell us a tall tale about a giant fish he once caught.”
“The explorer's journals were filled with many a wondrous tale of lost cities and mythical creatures hidden deep within the jungle.”
02gossip or a lie
n. a report or piece of gossip that is often untrue or shared to cause trouble.
n. an account of asserted facts or circumstances, often implying a malicious rumour, a lie, or idle gossip.
“Don't listen to him; he is just telling tales to make his coworkers look bad.”
“The witness was accused of spinning a tale to protect his associates from legal repercussions during the cross-examination.”
03a total count
n. a total number of things that have been counted.
n. a reckoning by count; a total number or enumeration of items.
“The workers had to deliver the full tale of bricks by the end of the day.”
“The ancient ledger recorded the exact tale of sheep brought to market each spring for over a century.”
Archaic
04a scam
n. a trick or fake story used by a criminal to cheat someone out of money.
n. the fraudulent narrative or opportunity presented by a confidence artist to a victim.
“The police warned the public about a new tale involving fake lottery winnings.”
“The investigator noted that the suspect used a sophisticated tale to convince the investors that their capital was being used for offshore developments.”
Slang · Technical
Real-World Examples
“In the dog days of the second world war, 24-year-old Maurice Schérer wrote a tale of young lovers in prewar small-town France.” “Each storyteller can’t help but bend the tale to their will.” “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl," a classic Chinese narrative from the first millennium B.C., tells the tale of a couple who challenge societal norms to marry for love.” “Most of the viewers spun elaborate tales involving lovers, violence and abandonment.” 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.
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
cautionary tale — A story, originally told in folklore, to warn its audience of a certain danger.
live to tell the tale — To survive some difficulty, illness, etc.
tall tale — A tale or story which is fantastic and greatly exaggerated; also, an account of questionable veracity; a lie, an untruth.
tell its own tale — To speak for itself; to require no explanation.
tell tales — To lie, to be making false claims.
tell tales out of school — To reveal confidential or sensitive information; to gossip.
weep and wail — a tale
In Literature
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The Handmaid's Tale · 1985-08-01 · Dystopian fiction, feminist science fiction
- Author:
- Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel follows a woman named Offred living under a totalitarian regime where she is forced into reproductive servitude. The title uses the word to frame her personal account as a historical record of her life and struggles in the Republic of Gilead. By calling it a 'tale,' the author emphasizes the protagonist's role as a storyteller sharing her private experiences in a restricted society.
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