tales

[ teylz, tey-leez ]

noun

Law.

1. (used with a plural verb) persons chosen to serve on the jury when the original panel is insufficiently large: originally selected from among those present in court.
2. (used with a singular verb) the order or writ summoning such jurors.

tales

/ ˈteɪliːz /

noun

1. functioning as plural a group of persons summoned from among those present in court or from bystanders to fill vacancies on a jury panel
2. functioning as singular the writ summoning such jurors

Derived Forms

• ˈtalesman, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tales¹

1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin tālēs ( dē circumstantibus ) such (of the bystanders)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tales¹

C15: from Medieval Latin phrase tālēs dē circumstantibus such men from among the bystanders, from Latin tālis such

Example Sentences

The news has been a steady, depressing drumbeat of complicity tales lately.

From Salon

But happy endings aren’t meant to come at the start of romantic tales and the exuberance proves to be premature.

From Los Angeles Times

In Wilkerson’s stories of 20th century Black America, we also hear the echoes of today’s migrant tales — the persistence that brings people to look for better futures and the roadblocks that stand in their way.

From Los Angeles Times

As he turns 48, somewhere in the tunnels of Gaza, Lishay will be writing again, with tales of two daughters who were still babies when he last saw them.

From BBC

HBO is a veritable warehouse of rich people's tales stretching to the pre- “Sex and the City” era, with “Big Little Lies,” “The Undoing” and “Succession” defining the contemporary generation.

From Salon

Related Words

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