TALE

fib, story, tale, tarradiddle, taradiddle

(noun) a trivial lie; “he told a fib about eating his spinach”; “how can I stop my child from telling stories?”

narrative, narration, story, tale

(noun) a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program; “his narrative was interesting”; “Disney’s stories entertain adults as well as children”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology 1

Noun

tale (plural tales)

An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie.

A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.

A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration.

(slang) The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim.

(obsolete) Number; tally; quota.

(obsolete) Account; estimation; regard; heed.

(obsolete) Speech; language.

(obsolete) A speech; a statement; talk; conversation; discourse.

(legal, obsolete) A count; declaration.

(rare or archaic) A number of things considered as an aggregate; sum.

(rare or archaic) A report of any matter; a relation; a version.

Etymology 2

Verb

tale (third-person singular simple present tales, present participle taling, simple past and past participle taled)

(dialectal or obsolete) To speak; discourse; tell tales.

(dialectal, chiefly, Scotland) To reckon; consider (someone) to have something.

Etymology 3

Noun

tale (plural tales)

Alternative form of tael

Anagrams

• EATL, ETLA, Elta, LATE, TEAL, TEAl, Teal, et al, et al., late, leat, tael, teal, tela

Source: Wiktionary

Tale, n.

Definition: See Tael.

Tale, n. Etym: [AS. talu number, speech, narrative; akin to D. taal speech, language, G. zahl number, OHG. zala, Icel. tal, tala, number, speech, Sw. tal, Dan. tal number, tale speech, Goth. talzjan to instruct. Cf. Tell, v. t., Toll a tax, also Talk, v. i.]

1. That which is told; an oral relation or recital; any rehearsal of what has occured; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story. "The tale of Troy divine." Milton. "In such manner rime is Dante's tale." Chaucer. We spend our years as a tale that is told. Ps. xc. 9.

2. A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a number reckoned or stated. The ignorant, . . . who measure by tale, and not by weight. Hooker. And every shepherd tells his tale, Under the hawthornn in the dale. Milton. In packing, they keep a just tale of the number. Carew.

3. (Law)

Definition: A count or declaration. [Obs.] To tell tale of, to make account of. [Obs.] Therefore little tale hath he told Of any dream, so holy was his heart. Chaucer.

Syn.

– Anecdote; story; fable; incident; memoir; relation; account; legend; narrative.

Tale, v. i.

Definition: To tell stories. [Obs.] Chaucer. Gower.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition