Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tall” come from?

Tall comes from Old English tæl, from Proto-Germanic talaz, from Proto-Indo-European del-, a root of uncertain meaning.

tall (English): Having a vertical extent greater than the...

Definitions

  1. Having a vertical extent greater than the...

Ancestry of “tall”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtall—
2Old Englishtæl—
3Proto-Germanictalazpliable, bendsome; submissive, hearsome, quick to...
4Ottoman Turkishطالاز—
5Old Anatolian Turkishطلز—
6Greekθάλασσαsea; storm
7Ancient Greekθάλασσαsea; the Mediterranean Sea; channel

Words derived from “tall”

  • tallgrass
  • tallness
  • tallish
  • tallie
  • supertall
  • tallsome
  • tal
Every word from Ancient Greek θάλασσα →