(a) That which one tells, the oral or written relation of an event or a series of events purporting to be true, a personal narrative, an account; bi his ~, according to him; bi olde tales, according to old accounts; prophetes ~, a prophecy; maken (lengere, to longe) ~, to drag out an account; ther-bi lieth a ~, thereby lies a tale, there is a story in that; (b) an unsubstantiated story, a secondhand report or account, rumor; also, gossip, a piece of gossip; also in proverbs; tellen tales, to spread reports, gossip; (c) a story known by the teller to be untrue, a false story, fabrication; a falsehood, lie; also, a disingenuous or dishonest confession [quots. 1340 & c1400(a1376)]; ~ feined, made ~, a fiction, fable; also, in emphatic parenthetical expressions: pleinli) this is no ~, this is no lie, truly; (d) a frivolous story, trifling tale; a jest, joke; ~ of trufle(s, a trifling story, nonsense; vein tales tellinge, the act of telling idle tales; wommanes ~, a woman's tale, foolish trifle; (e) an old saying, a proverb; (f) a piece or point of information; tidings, news;— also pl.; commune ~, common talk, popular information; losen ~, to reveal information; (g) a formal message, oral or written; also, an authoritative pronouncement or command, esp. one of divine or royal origin; tellen ~, to deliver a message; (h) the expressing of general opinion, stating of a consensus; also, advice, counsel [1st quot.]; graunten (sheuen) ~, to delegate (to sb.) the expression of general opinion.

(a) A set or formal narrative, oral or written, of events that occurred or are believed to have occurred in the past, a story from history or accepted as history, a story drawn from the Bible, a saint's life, etc.; a story which may be fictive but which illustrates moral truth, a parable, an exemplum; also, a story with a consciously invented plot; english ~, a story composed in English; the frensh ~, the original French version of a story; the ordre of the ~ of the storie, the order of the narrative of the story; taken for a ~, to regard (the text of Scripture) as a mere tale (fit for arcane glossing); (b) in titles: the tales of caunterburi, the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer; the tales of jeues, the Talmudic legends; the tales of romaines, the Gesta Romanorum; (c) a subject in a set narrative, topic; chaungen (turnen) ~, to change (one's) subject; leten ~, leave (a subject), turn from; tellen other tales, recount other matters, turn to other subjects; turnen to ~, return to (one's) subject; (d) an event or experience which is related in the form of a set tale.

(a) The act of speaking; lese ~, the act or practice of false-speaking; (b) speech, discourse, talk; also, language; coll. & pl. words, remarks; engle (english) ~, the English language; fals ~, a lie; in ~ ne in touche, in word nor in deed; tonge and ~, speech and eloquence; biginnen of tales, to begin to speak; breken ~, interrupt (someone's) speech; haven to mani ~, talk too much; (c) a more or less formal address, a speech; also, in phrases introducing directly quoted words: biginnen (ginnen) his ~, speken this ~, etc.; (d) an oral teaching, a sermon, lesson; an explication; also, a written exposition [quot. a1400 Lanfranc]; yeven ~ to, to teach (sb.), instruct; (e) in prov. expressions, with ref. to the dead: tellen no tale(s.

(a) An assertion, a claim, declaration; also, an argument [1st quot.]; a line of argument [quot. c1475-a1600]; (b) a protestation, protest; (c) an accusation, a charge; a complaint; law the formal statement of a cause of complaint, the plaintiff's charge or argument in a court or legal proceedings; also fig.; tellen ~, to plead a case; yeven up the ~, lay a charge, make an indictment.

(a) A conversation, colloquy, discussion; in tales, mid ~, with tale(s, in conversation; holden (maken, tellen) ~; (b) a topic of conversation, subject, matter; smiten in an other ~, to shift to another subject; (c) a debate, disputation; also, a dispute [2nd quot.].

With diminished force: (a) in misc. phrases and parenthetical expressions: the laste ~ to the first, from beginning to end; upon the ~, straightway, at once; withouten tale(s mo, withouten ~ more, withouten lengere ~, withouten more ~ (to tellen, withouten more ~ told, without further ado, without delay; (b) in inf. phrases used parenthetically: to maken short ~, short ~ for to tellen, shortli for to tellen the shape of this ~, to be brief, in short; (c) haven no longere time mo tales to tellen, to have no more time to waste; setten ~ on ende, speak to the point; tellen long tales, speak at length; that is the ende of the ~, in a word, in short, to the point; the fruit of everi ~ is for to seien, the heart of the matter is; told is min ~, ?I am known; what help mo tales told ?what helpeth hit long ~ to sheuen?, why delay ?why make it a long story?; (d) in proverbs and prov. expressions.

(a) A numerical quantity; a number of persons, things, etc.; also, the number of times something occurs, frequency [quot. a1250]; of short ~, few in number; seien ~ of, to recite the requisite number of (Aves); (b) the total number, number all told, sum total; also, the sum of numbers added together [1st quot.]; (c) a group of persons, company; (d) a numerical value; also, a numeral, number; ~ and rime; ful ~, a perfect number; (e) numerical order; bi (in) ~, in order; (f) an enumeration, a count, tally; also, that by which one calculates or reckons [quots. a1398]; with right ~, with proper count, accurately; tellen in ~, to count (persons) in a census; (g) an ordered list; (h) in selected phrases: bi ~, with (the) ~, in number, by count; withouten ~, without number, innumerable, countless; also, immeasurable [quot. c1450(a1425)]; gon bi ~, to be measured by the count, be reckoned by the unit; haven in ~, number (many thousand); also, ?be able to count (persons) [quot. a1500(?a1400)]; lien bi ~, ?lie one by one; ?lie in great numbers; tellen bi (with) ~, count (persons, things); also, enumerate (persons), list by name [quot. c1325(1307)]; itold bi ~ five sithes ten, numbering fifty; (i) ten man ~, q.v.

(a) Estimation of value, regard; heed, concern; account, worth; that ever be ~ on, on whom there be value placed; freq. in negative impers. constructions: it is no (but litel) ~, it is of no (but little) account; nis no (is litel) ~ of, there is no (little) regard for (sb. or sth.), there is no (little) account taken of; (b) in selected phrases, usu. in negative constructions: holden no ~, maken litel ~, yeven (no, litel) ~, to pay no (little) heed, have (no, little) regard, etc.; holden (litel) ~ of, holden no tale(s of, maken no ~ of, setten no ~ bi (of), tellen no (litel) ~ of, yeven (no, litel, a litel) ~ of, have no (little) concern for (sb. or sth.), pay (no, little) attention to, have (no, little) regard for, etc.

(a) Reproach, blame; also, an object of reproach; to ~, in reproach, as a reproof; (b) a defect, fault; bouten ~, without culpability, blameless.

(a) Reasoning, reckoning; bi ~, according to (someone's) reckoning; (b) of water ne beth hit ~, ?it is not reckoned as water.

In misc. senses: (a) a matter, an affair; ~ of nought, a thing of no value; (b) ?a portent, prophetic sign; (c) nighter ~, q.v.

?In surnames.