Where does “telltale” come from?
Telltale comes from English tell, from Arabic تَلّ, from Old English tellan, from Proto-Germanic taljaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European del-.
telltale (English): One who divulges private information with intent...
Definitions
- One who divulges private information with intent...
Ancestry of “telltale”, step by step
telltale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tell | To count, reckon, or enumerate; To narrate; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | tellen | to count; to tell |
| 3 | Old English | tellan | to count, calculate; to tell, narrate, recount;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | talljan | to count, to enumerate; to recount, to tell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | taljaną | to enumerate, count; to account, recount, tell |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | talą | speech; number |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dol- | reckoning, calculation, fraud; calculation, fraud |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | del- | to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,... |
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;... |