Where does “tattletale” come from?
tattletale (English) comes from English tale, from Middle English tale, from Old English talu, from Proto-West Germanic *talu, from Proto-Germanic talō, from Proto-Indo-European del- — to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,...
tattletale (English): telltale; giveaway
Definitions
- telltale; giveaway
Ancestry of “tattletale”, step by step
tattletale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tale | An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | tale | personal narrative, account |
| 3 | Old English | talu | account, reckoning; tale; narration |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *talu | narration, report |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | talō | narration, report; assessment, judgment;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | del- | to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,... |