tailor

¹

[ tey-ler ]

noun

1. a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, especially suits, coats, and other outer garments.

verb (used with object)

1. to make by tailor's work.
2. to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc.:

   to tailor one's actions to those of another.

3. to fit or furnish with clothing.
4. Chiefly U.S. Military. to make (a uniform) to order; cut (a ready-made uniform) so as to cause to fit more snugly; taper.

verb (used without object)

1. to do the work of a tailor.

tailor

²

[ tey-ler ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. a stroke of a bell indicating someone's death; knell.

tailor

/ ˈteɪlə /

noun

1. a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear sartorial
2. a voracious and active marine food fish, Pomatomus saltator, of Australia with scissor-like teeth

verb

1. to cut or style (material, clothes, etc) to satisfy certain requirements
2. tr to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific

   he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience

3. intr to follow the occupation of a tailor

Word History and Origins

Origin of tailor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor, from taill(ier) “to cut” (from Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea “rod, cutting,” literally, “heel-piece”; tally ) + -or -or ²

Origin of tailor²

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

Word History and Origins

Origin of tailor¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman taillour, from Old French taillier to cut, from Latin tālea a cutting; related to Greek talis girl of marriageable age

Example Sentences

As for the jewelry, Kenneth Jay Lane custom-built two necklaces to mimic Holly’s jewels, which had to be hand-sewn by Lawson’s tailor Sarah Moore pearl by pearl to anchor it to the dress.

From Los Angeles Times

Democrats tried to tailor their economic messages in Michigan, touting their investments in electric car manufacturing while securing an endorsement from United Automobile Workers president Shawn Fain, a frequent Trump critic.

From BBC

Bal remembered embarking on a sartorial adventure at the age of 11 when he coaxed his father into a tailor's shop in Delhi to craft his own cowboy pants adorned with tassels.

From BBC

“One of those is the importance of communicating to Republican and independent voters who do support this issue, but may be turned off by the messages that progressives would use if they were speaking to fellow progressives, and figuring out how to tailor that messaging to the entire electorate.”

From Salon

Most of the questions during this three-state town hall trip, however, seemed tailor made for Harris to tout key campaign talking points.

From BBC