tale 
talk, conversation, tale, tola, a number, speech, 
= Sw. tal, number, speech, = Dan. tale, speech, 
talk, discourse, tal, number; cf. Goth, "tnls in 
deriv. talzjan, instruct. Hence tale 1 , v., tell 1 , 
and faftl. For the relation of the two senses 
6168 
talent 
Thanne wyndeth hi zuo uele defautes, and of motes and TalegalluS (tal-e-gal'us), 
of doust wyth-oute tale. 
Ayenbite oflnwyt (E. E. T. S.), p. 108. 
Tale of a tub. See t-iib.- Tale of naughtt, a thing of 
no account ; a mere trifle. 
Alle suche prestes, 
[NL. (Lesson, 
sure] one, 
And a tytle, a tale of noujte to his lyflode at myschiefe. 
Piers Plowman (B), xi. 291. 
number' and 'speech,' cf. rime 1 , 'number' and That han noyther ktinnynge ne kynne but a croune [ton 
'tale.'] It. Number. 
The tale of thritti, thet is of thrisithe ten. 
Ayenbite oflnwyt (E. E. T. S.), p. 234. 
2. Numbering; enumeration; reckoning; ac- 
count; count. 
To nem you the mowmber naytely be tale, 
There were twenty and too. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2746. 
The lawyer, that sells words by weight and by tale. 
Randolph, Commendation of a Pot of Good Ale. 
Both number twice a day the milky dams ; 
And once she takes the tale of all the lambs. 
Dryden, tr. of Virgil's Eclogues, iii. 51. 
3. A number of things considered as an ag- 
gregate ; a sum. 
Pilia, Jew, I must have more gold. 
Bar. Why, want'st thou any of thy tale? 
I'ilia. No, but three hundred will not serve his turn. 
Marlowe, Jew of Malta, iv. 6. 
1826), also Taleg'alla (Lesson, 1828), Talleyall us 
(Schlegel, 1880), said to be compounded of a na- 
tive name + L. gallus, a cock.] The represen- 
tative genus of TalegalUnae, containing the true 
brush-turkey, as T. latliami of Australia, and T. 
cuvieri of New Guinea. See brush-turkey, and 
cut in preceding column . Also called A lectura, 
Alectrura, or Alectoritra, and Cathetums. 
To be (or Jump) in a (or one) talet, to agree; concur; be t a l e -mastert (ta,rmas"ter), n. The author or 
in accord. _^^ ^ ^ ^ toth in a ^ originator of a tale. 
Shak., Much Ado, iv. 2. 33. i tell you m y tale, and my tale-master" ... is essen- 
All generally agreeing that such places [heauen and hell] tial to the begetting of credit to any relation 
there!, but how inhabited, by whom gouerned, or what f^ler, General Worthies, xxm. 
betides them that are transported to the one or the other, 
not two of them iumpe ' 
To give talet to make account! se'tstore";' take" notice"; a talent, also ability, a man of ability, _ = 
heel Pr. talen, talant, talan, a talent, also will, in- 
clination, desire, = Sp. Pg. It. talento, a talent, 
also will, inclination, desire, = D. G. Sw. Dan. 
talent, gift, endowment, = Ir. talaint, a talent, 
talian, Gael, talann, a talent, faculty, < L. talen- 
tum, a Grecian weight, a talent of money, ML. 
also will, inclination, desire, < Gr. TC&O.VTOV, a 
ne J(J talent 1 (tal'ent), n. [< ME. talent, < OF. talent, 
Nashe.'plerce Penilesse, p. 66. a talent, also will, inclination, desire, F. talent, 
Of gyle ne of gabbynge gyue thei neuere tale. 
Piers Plowman (B), xix. 451. 
Therof yeve I lytel tale. 
To hold talet. See holdl. 
. 6375. 
To know, to esteem, to love and then to part, 
Makes up life's tale to many a feeling heart. 
Coleridge, On Taking Leave of - 
Now Maggie's tale of visits to Aunt Olegg is completed, 
I mean that we shall go out boating every day until she 
goes. George Eliot, Mill on the Floss, vi. 13. 
4f. Account; estimation; regard; heed. See 
to give tale, below. 
He wrogten manige [sinne] and bale, 
Of that migt is litel tale. 
Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S.), 1. 548. 
5f. Speech; language. 
Blgamie is unkinde [unnatural] thing, 
On engleis tale, twie-wiflng. 
Rom. of the Rose, 
* To tell one's (or its) own 
tale or story, to speak for one s self or itself ; be self-ex- 
planatory. To tell talet. Same as to give tale. 
He nas but seven yeer old, 
And therfore litel tale hath he told 
Of any dreem, so holy was his herte. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 299. 
To tell tales, to play the informer. 
The only remedy is to bribe them with goody goodies, 
that they may not tell tales to papa and mamma. 
Swift, Advice to Servants (General Directions). 
To tell tales out of school (formerly, forth of school), 
to reveal secrets ; disclose confidential matters. 
We have some news at Cambridge, but it is too long to 
relate ; besides, I must not tell tales forth of school. 
Court and. Times of Charles I., II. 65. 
Unit Of tale. See unit. = Syn. 10. Romance, etc. See 
novel, n. 
balance, a particular weight, esp. of gold, a sum 
of money, a talent (see def.), < / ToA, rta, lift, 
e^a;SS&(E.E.T.S.), 1.460. talel (tal), . i. [< ME. talen, < AS. talian, 
bear, weigh, as in rZijvai, bear, suffer, 
miserable, vokm'fJiq, much-suffering, *Ar?.af, At- 
las (see Atlas'*-), L. toilers, lift, tolerare, bear 
(see tolerate), Skt. tula, a balance, weight, tu- 
lana, lifting, / till, lift, weigh. The deflected 
uses of the word in ML. and Rom. are due in 
part to the fig. sense 'wealth,' and in part to 
the sense 'gift, endowment,' suggested by the 
parable of the talents (Mat. xxv.).] 1. An an- 
cient denomination of weight, originally Baby- 
lonian (though the name is Greek), and vary- 
ing widely in value among different peoples 
6t. A speech; a statement; talk; conversation; 
discourse. 
In one swithe desele hale, 
I-herde ich holde grete tale 
An ule and one nigtingale. 
Owl and Nightingale, 1. 3 (Morris and Skeat, I. 171). 
She that was with sorwe oppressed so, 
That in effect she noght his tales herde, 
But here and ther, now here a worde or two. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 178. 
7. A report of any matter; a relation; a ver- 
sion. 
Every tongue brings in a several tale, 
And every tale condemns me for a villain. 
*LAt5 \^<* L f^ Vf V* \ jLl-LlLlt ll*H^/lj N J.i.tJ. V! J -I'tf A. A.' , 1 
ioot tell fount think ( OS talon OHG and at different times. All the Assyrian weights had 
speak tell count, tnrafc ( us. taton umr. ^ ^ fc doub]e ^ an(J there 
salon, MHG. zaln, G. eahlen, number, reckon), 
< talw, number, tale : see fate 1 , n. Cf. tell 1 , v.] 
To speak ; discourse ; tell tales. [Obsolete or 
prov. Eng.] 
Ye shapen yow to talen and to pleye. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 772. 
Whan they this straunge vessel sigh 
Come in and hath his saile avaled ; 
The town therof hath spoke and taled. 
Gower, Conf. Amant., viii. 
tale 2 , n. See tael. 
talea (ta'le-a), . [L.: see fa2.] I n bot., a 
cutting for propagation. 
two values, the heavy being double the light, and there 
were also various types of each. The royal Babylonian 
commercial talent (or Assyrian talent) was divided into 
60 minas, and each mina into 60 shekels. Its value 
(light weight) was in one type 29.63 kilograms (66 pounds 
6 ounces avoirdupois), and in another 30.10 kilograms 
(66 pounds 5$ ounces). Derivatives of this talent (which 
was equivalent to 3,000 shekels) were in use in Syria and 
Palestine and in Phenician colonies. Its money value 
is reckoned as approximately from $1,700 to $2,000. The 
Babylonian gold talent contained only 50 minas, and was 
thus five sixths of the commercial weight. The Baby- 
lonian silver talent was formed by multiplying the com- 
mercial talent by 13J (the ratio of silver to an equivalent 
mass of gold), and afterward dividing by 10. The re- 
sulting light talent was sometimes again divided by 2. 
cliip'f- nne who cnrrips stories Macedonia, and Italy. It is the basis of much of the 
likely br eed mischiel v onewnocf i mogt jjjjjjj.^ gUyer c ^ inage The Pnenidan silver talent. 
and makes mischief by his officiousness. 
Where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. 
Prov. xxvi. 20. 
talebearing (tal'bar'ing), . [< talel + bear- 
. 
probably derived from the Babylonian, was in its lighter 
types about 43.4 kilograms (95 pounds 9 ounces avoir- 
dupois), and, being halved, was adopted into the Ptole- 
maic system. The chief Greek talents were as follows : 
Old jEginetan, 40.3 kilograms (88 pounds 12 ounces); em- 
c,, , T>- 1 TTT Q1O/1 UU.LiLU.lt; -LVA Ui \J k'Uif^Ct LJ.V/J-1 D .. 
khan., Kich. ill., v. i 194. ta i e j, earer (tal'bar"er), n. One who tells tales Derivatives of this talent were in use in Persia, Lydia, 
Mair of that taill he told to me, 'i__i_. *._ i j : n~*. .^i.^ .....;,-, 4-n*n 
The quhilk he said he sawe. 
Battle of Balrinnes (Child's Ballads, VII. 219). 
Birds . . . piped their Valentines, and woke 
Desire in me to infuse my tale of love 
In the old king's ears, who promised help. 
Tennyson, Princess, v. 
8f. In law, a count; a declaration. gu ^ ag are e j t her untrue or In some way detrf- 
The declaration, narratio, or count, antiently called the mental to the person concerned. 
talebearing (tarbar"ing), a. Spreading stories 
or reports which are likely to do harm. 
tale-book (tal'buk), n. A story-book. [Rare.] 
I spent it in reading love-books, and tale-looks, and 
play-books. Baxter, Self-Denial, xxi. 
A talebearer. 
inn.] The act of spreading tales, especially poretic Attic (substantially later ^Kginetan), 36.4 kilograms 
i _'ii___. ;__, _. j A j._ 1 /on . ., .11,, J i_- A , .11 i ,i>. >^\ Snlnnin / 'F.uruntianS 9?i 8 HI riorums 
tale-carriert (tarkar'i-er), n. 
Spirits called spies and tale-cariers. 
Nashe, Pierce Penilesse, p. 80. 
+ -ful.] Abound- 
9. An account of a 
stance; a rumor; a report; especially, an idle 
or malicious story ; a piece of gossip or slan- 
der; a lie : as, to tell tales. 
Pilgrimis and palmers . . . 
Wenten forth in hure way with meny vn-wyse tales, 
And hauen leue to lye al hure lyf-time. 
Piers Plowman (C), i. 49. ta l e f u l (tal'ful), a. 
In thee are men [margin, men of slanders] that cany j n g with stories. 
tales to shed blood. Ezek. xxii. 9. Tne co tt a ge hind 
The tale revived, the lie so oft o'erthrown. Hangs o'er th' enlivening blaze, and taleful there 
Pope, ProL to Satires, 1. 350. Recounts his simple frolic. Thomson, Winter, 1. 90. 
10. A narrative, oral or written (in prose or Talegallinae (tal"e-ga-ll'ne), n. pi. [NL., < 
verse), of some real or imaginary event or 
group of events; a story, either true or ficti- 
tious, having for its aim to please or instruct, 
or to preserve more or less remote historical 
(80 pounds 4 ounces); Solonic (= Egyptian), 25.8 kilograms 
(56 pounds 14 ounces). Talents mentioned by Homer and 
some other of the oldest writers appear to be small weights, 
perhaps shekels. The later Attic talent contained 60 minas, 
or 6,000 Attic drachmas, equal to 66 pounds 14 ounces. Asa 
denomination of silver money it was equal to about $1,000. 
The great talent of the Romans is computed to be equal 
to 99 68. 8<J. sterling, or about $480, and the little talent 
to 75 sterling, or about $363. 
2f. Money ; wealth ; property in general. 
Takez hym to hys tresory, talentes hym shewys. 
Wars of Alexander (Dublin MS.), 1. 1666. 
Many a noble gallant 
Sold both land and talent 
To follow Stukely in this famous fight. 
Life and Death of Thomas Stitkely (Child's Ballads, VII. 
[310). 
3t. Hence, a wealth; an abundance (as in the 
ctlCtietlllllcc i uoji c~td J.J. lie;, ft* i/i, i.i.ij_j.. \ . i t / -i i i *\ i 
Talegallm + *ue.j A subfamily of Megapodi- P^ase ' a wealth of golden hair ') ; or perhaps, 
facts : more especially, a story displaying em- 
bellishment or invention. 
With a tale forsooth he commeth vnto you ; with a tale 
which holdeth children from play, and old men from the 
chimney corner. Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for Poetrie. 
Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale 
Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man. 
Shak., K. John, iii. 4. 108. 
Mine is a tale of Flodden Field, 
And not a history. Scott, Marraion, v. 34. 
Old Wives' tale, or old men's talet, a proverbial ex- 
pression for any tale of a legendary character, dealing 
usually with the marvelous. 
I am content to drive away the time with an old wives' 
winter's tale. Peele, Old Wives' Tale (ed. Buljen), 1. 98. 
I find all these but dreams, and old men's tales, 
To fright unsteady youth. Ford, 'Tis Pity, i. 3. 
Out Of tale, without talet.without number; more than 
can be numbered. 
dse or mound-birds, typified by the genus Tale- 
gallm, including the brush-turkeys of the Aus- 
tralian and Papuan regions, and the Mega- 
cephalon maleo of Celebes. G. B. Gray. 
Brush-turkey (Taltfallus lathami). 
gold (i.e. 'golden tresses'). [Rare.] 
And, lo, behold these talents of their hair, 
With twisted metal amorously impleach'd, 
I have received from many a several fair, 
Their kind acceptance weepingly beseech'd. 
Shot., Lover's Complaint, 1. 204. 
The talents of golde were on her head sette 
Hunge lowe downe to her knee. 
King Estmere (Child's Ballads, III. 163). 
[Some editors assume talent in these passages to be a dif- 
ferent word, with the imagined meaning 'a clasp ' or ' hair- 
pin.'] 
4. A gift committed to one for use and im- 
provement: so called in allusion to the parable 
of the talents (Mat. xxv.); hence, a peculiar 
faculty, endowment, or aptitude; a capacity 
for achievement or success. 
In suche workes as I have and intende to sette forthe, 
my pore talent shall be, God willing, in such wyse be- 
stowed that no manues conscience shalbe therwith of- 
fended. 
Sir T. Eliot, Image of Governance (ed. 1544), Pref., sig. a, 
[iii. r. (F. Hall, Mod. Eng., p. 67.) 
