Where does “tale” come from?

Tale comes from Middle English tale, from Old English talian, from Proto-Germanic talō, from Proto-Indo-European del-.

tale (English): An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a...

Definitions

  1. An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a...

Ancestry of “tale”, step by step

tale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English tale

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtalepersonal narrative, account
2Old Englishtaluaccount, reckoning; tale; narration
3Proto-West Germanic*talunarration, report
4Proto-Germanictalōnarration, report; assessment, judgment;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeandel-to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,...

via Middle English talen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtalen—
2Old Englishtalianto suppose, consider, reckon, account; to...
3Proto-West Germanictalōnto calculate; to consider
4Proto-Germanictalōnąto tell, speak, recount; to count, to reckon

Words derived from “tale”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European del- →