tall

tall
tall (adj.) "high in stature," 1520s, probably ultimately from O.E. getæl "prompt, active." Sense evolved to "brave, valiant, seemly, proper" (late 14c.), then to "attractive, handsome" (mid-15c.), and finally "being of more than average height." The Old English word is related to O.H.G. gi-zal "quick," Goth. un-tals "indocile."
Sense evolution is remarkable, but adjectives applied to persons often mutate quickly in meaning (e.g. PRETTY (Cf. pretty), BUXOM (Cf. buxom), Ger. klein "small, little," which in M.H.G. meant the same as its English cognate CLEAN (Cf. clean)). Meaning "exaggerated" (as in tall tale) is American English colloquial attested by 1846. Phrase tall, dark, and handsome is recorded from 1906.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(in stature), , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • tall — W2S2 [to:l US to:l] adj comparative taller superlative tallest [: Old English; Origin: getAl quick, ready ] 1.) a person, building, tree etc that is tall is a greater height than normal ▪ He was young and tall. ▪ a house surrounded by tall trees… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Tall — Tall, a. [Compar. {Taller}; superl. {Tallest}.] [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,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tall — [ tɔl ] adjective *** 1. ) a tall person or object has greater height than the average person or object: a tall thin woman tall chimneys/towers/buildings He was much taller than I expected. grow tall: This tree can grow very tall in the right… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Tall — steht für: eine Fraktion der Gemeinde Schenna in Südtirol, siehe Tall (Schenna). eine Erhebung, die durch wiederholte Besiedlung entstand, siehe Tell (Archäologie). Tall ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Mamadou Tall (* 1982) burkinischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • tall — [tôl] adj. [ME tal, dexterous, seemly < OE (ge)tæl, swift, prompt, akin to OHG gizal, swift < IE base * del , to aim > TALE, TELL1] 1. of more than normal height or stature [a tall man, a tall building] 2. having a specified height [five …   English World dictionary

  • tall — [tɔːl ǁ tɒːl] adjective HUMAN RESOURCES a tall organization has many levels of employment between top management and the work done at the bottom: • Tall organizations are sometimes prone to problems of communication. * * * tall UK US /tɔːl/… …   Financial and business terms

  • tall|ol — «TAH ll, lol», noun. = tall oil. (Cf. ↑tall oil) ╂[< German Tallöl; see etym. under tall oil (Cf. ↑tall oil)] …   Useful english dictionary

  • tall — ► ADJECTIVE 1) of great or more than average height. 2) measuring a specified distance from top to bottom. 3) fanciful and difficult to believe; unlikely: a tall story. ● a tall order Cf. ↑a tall order DERIVATIVES …   English terms dictionary

  • tall — [adj1] high in stature, length alpine, altitudinous, beanstalk*, big, elevated, giant, great, high reaching, lank, lanky, lofty, rangy, sizable, sky high, skyscraping, soaring, statuesque, towering; concepts 779,782 Ant. little, low, short, small …   New thesaurus

  • tall — Mot Monosíl·lab Nom masculí …   Diccionari Català-Català

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