tell 1  (tĕl)
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v. told(tōld), tell·ing, tells v. tr. 1. a. To communicate by speech or writing; express with words: She told him that the store was closed. Tell me the truth. b. To give a detailed account of; narrate: told what happened; told us a story. c. To notify (someone) of something; inform: He told us of his dream to sail around the world. d. To make known; disclose or reveal: tell a secret; tell fortunes. e. To inform (someone) positively; assure: I tell you, the plan will work. f. To give instructions to; direct: told the customers to wait in line. 2. To discover by observation; discern: We could tell that he was upset. 3. To name or number one by one; count: telling one's blessings; 16 windows, all told. v. intr. 1. To relate a story or give an account of an event: The sailor told of having been adrift for days. 2. To reveal something that is not supposed to be revealed, especially something that someone has done wrong: She promised not to tell on her friend. 3. To have an effect or impact: In this game every move tells. n. An unintentional or unconsciously exhibited behavior that reveals or betrays one's state of mind, as when playing poker. Phrasal Verb: tell off Informal To rebuke severely; reprimand. Idiom: tell time To determine the time of day indicated by the positions of the hands on a clock.
[Middle English tellen, from Old English tellan; see del-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
tella·ble adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tell 2  (t ĕl)
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n. A mound, especially in the Middle East, made up of the remains of a succession of previous settlements.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Tell  (t ĕl), William fl. early 14th cent.?
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Swiss patriot who, according to legend, sparked a rebellion against Habsburg rule after he was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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