Tale definition
The definition of a tale is a story, either real or fiction, that is told.
An example of a tale is one of Aesop’s Fables.
noun
A narrative of real or imaginary events; a story.
noun
A story or account of true, legendary, or fictitious events; narrative.
noun
A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.
The Canterbury Tales.
noun
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A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration.
noun
(slang) The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark (sense 3.3) of a confidence game.
noun
(archaic) A tally; count.
noun
Tale means a lie.
An example of a tale is a child’s excuse about their missing homework.
noun
A recital of events or happenings; a report or revelation.
Told us a long tale of woe.
noun
A deliberate lie; a falsehood.
noun
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Something told or related; relation or recital of happenings.
noun
A piece of gossip.
noun
A falsehood; lie.
noun
(obs.) The act of telling.
noun
A literary composition in narrative form, often, specif., an unsophisticated, somewhat digressive one.
noun
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(archaic) A tally or reckoning; a total.
noun
A malicious story, piece of gossip, or petty complaint.
noun
Origin of tale
- Middle English from Old English talu del-2 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English, from Old English talu (“tale, series, calculation, list, statement, deposition, relation, communication, narrative, fable, story, accusation, action at law”), from Proto-Germanic *talō (“calculation, number”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to reckon, count”). Cognate with 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 [script?] (dólos, “wile, bait”), Albanian dalloj (“to distinguish, tell”), Kurdish til (“finger”), Old Armenian տող (toł, “row”). Related to tell, talk.
From Wiktionary
- From Middle English talen, from Old English talian (“to count, calculate, reckon, account, consider, think, esteem, value, argue, tell, relate, impute, assign”), from Proto-Germanic *talōną (“to count”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to count, reckon, aim, calculate, adjust”). Cognate with German zählen (“to count, number, reckon”), Swedish tala (“to speak, talk”), Icelandic tala (“to talk”).
From Wiktionary