TALL

improbable, marvelous, marvellous, tall

(adjective) too improbable to admit of belief; “a tall story”

tall

(adjective) impressively difficult; “a tall order”

grandiloquent, magniloquent, tall

(adjective) lofty in style; “he engages in so much tall talk, one never really realizes what he is saying”

tall

(adjective) great in vertical dimension; high in stature; “tall people”; “tall buildings”; “tall trees”; “tall ships”

tall

(noun) a garment size for a tall person

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

tall (comparative taller, superlative tallest)

(of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.

(of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.

(of a story) Hard to believe, such as a tall story or a tall tale.

(chiefly, US, of a cup of coffee) A cup of coffee smaller than grande, usually 8 ounces.

(obsolete) Obsequious; obedient.

(obsolete) Seemly; suitable; fitting, becoming, comely; attractive, handsome.

(obsolete) Bold; brave; courageous; valiant.

(archaic) Fine; proper; admirable; great; excellent.

Antonyms

• (of a person): short

• (of a building): short, low, low-rise

Noun

tall (plural talls)

(possibly, nonstandard) Someone or something that is tall.

Source: Wiktionary


Tall, a. [Compar. Taller; superl. Tallest.] Etym: [OE. tal seemly, elegant, docile; of uncertain origin; cf. AS. un-tala, un-tale, bad, Goth. untals indocile, disobedient, uninstructed, or W. & Corn. tal high, Ir. talla meet, fit, proper, just.]

1. High in stature; having a considerable, or an unusual, extension upward; long and comparatively slender; having the diameter or lateral extent small in proportion to the height; as, a tall person, tree, or mast. Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall. Milton.

2. Brave; bold; courageous. [Obs.] As tall a trencherman As e'er demolished a pye fortification. Massinger. His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three thousand tall men. Grafton.

3. Fine; splendid; excellent; also, extravagant; excessive. [Obs. or Slang] B. Jonson.

Syn.

– High; lofty.

– Tall, High, Lofty. High is the generic term, and is applied to anything which is elevated or raised above another thing. Tall specifically describes that which has a small diameter in proportion to its height; hence, we speak of a tall man, a tall steeple, a tall mast, etc., but not of a tall hill. Lofty has a special reference to the expanse above us, and denotes an imposing height; as, a lofty mountain; a lofty room. Tall is now properly applied only to physical objects; high and lofty have a moral acceptation; as, high thought, purpose, etc.; lofty aspirations; a lofty genius. Lofty is the stronger word, and is usually coupled with the grand or admirable.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 April 2024

POLYGENIC

(adjective) of or relating to an inheritable character that is controlled by several genes at once; of or related to or determined by polygenes


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

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