tale

[ teyl ]

noun

1. a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story:

   a tale about Lincoln's dog.

2. a literary composition having the form of such a narrative.
3. a falsehood; lie.
4. a rumor or piece of gossip, often malicious or untrue.
5. the full number or amount.
6. Archaic. enumeration; count.
7. Obsolete. talk; discourse.

tale

/ teɪl /

noun

1. a report, narrative, or story
2. one of a group of short stories connected by an overall narrative framework
3. 1. a malicious or meddlesome rumour or piece of gossip

      to bear tales against someone

   2. ( in combination )

      talebearer

      taleteller

4. a fictitious or false statement
5. tell tales
   1. to tell fanciful lies
   2. to report malicious stories, trivial complaints, etc, esp to someone in authority
6. tell a tale
   to reveal something important
7. tell its own tale
   to be self-evident
8. archaic.
   1. a number; amount
   2. computation or enumeration
9. an obsolete word for talk

Word History and Origins

Origin of tale¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English talu series, list, narrative, story; cognate with Dutch taal speech, language, German Zahl number, Old Norse tala number, speech. See tell ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tale¹

Old English talu list; related to Old Frisian tele talk, Old Saxon, Old Norse tala talk, number, Old High German zala number

Idioms and Phrases

see old wives' tale ; tall tale ; tell tales ; thereby hangs a tale .

Example Sentences

Tiana’s, opening such as it is just about a week after one of our nation’s most divisive presidential elections, is not only a story about people coming together, but also a tale dedicated to those who may be overlooked, says Walt Disney Imagineering’s Josef Lemoine, who helped craft the ride’s narrative.

From Los Angeles Times

“For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new,” Baldwin wrote, “it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.”

From Los Angeles Times

Outspent in the general election and subjected to an onslaught of negative ads and mailers and headlines in the weeks leading up to election day, she nevertheless trounced De León, a Latino political giant now reduced to a cautionary tale after his fall from grace for his role in a secretly recorded conversation that upended L.A. politics.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, Lidl - like John Lewis - has gone for a classic tale designed to tug at the heartstrings.

From BBC

Hegseth probably read some history as an undergrad at Princeton and a master’s student at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, so he might want to ponder the takeaways from this tale: Is anti-woke the new anti-communism?

From Slate

Related Words

• account
• anecdote
• fable
• fiction
• legend
• myth
• narrative
• novel
• short story
• yarn