3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tell  \Tell\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Told};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Telling}.]  [AS.  tellan,  from  talu  tale,  number,  speech;  akin 
  to  D.  tellen  to  count  G.  z["a]hlen,  OHG.  zellen  to  count 
  tell  say  Icel.  telja  Dan.  tale  to  speak,  t[ae]lle  to 
  count  See  {Tale}  that  which  is  told.] 
  1.  To  mention  one  by  one  or  piece  by  piece;  to  recount;  to 
  enumerate;  to  reckon;  to  number;  to  count  as  to  tell 
  money.  ``An  heap  of  coin  he  told.''  --Spenser. 
 
  He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars.  --Ps.  cxlvii 
  4. 
 
  Tell  the  joints  of  the  body.  --Jer.  Taylor. 
 
  2.  To  utter  or  recite  in  detail;  to  give  an  account  of  to 
  narrate. 
 
  Of  which  I  shall  tell  all  the  array.  --Chaucer. 
 
  And  not  a  man  appears  to  tell  their  fate.  --Pope. 
 
  3.  To  make  known  to  publish;  to  disclose;  to  divulge. 
 
  Why  didst  thou  not  tell  me  that  she  was  thy  wife? 
  --Gen.  xii. 
  18. 
 
  4.  To  give  instruction  to  to  make  report  to  to  acquaint;  to 
  teach;  to  inform. 
 
  A  secret  pilgrimage,  That  you  to-day  promised  to 
  tell  me  of?  --Shak. 
 
  5.  To  order  to  request;  to  command. 
 
  He  told  her  not  to  be  frightened.  --Dickens. 
 
  6.  To  discern  so  as  to  report;  to  ascertain  by  observing;  to 
  find  out  to  discover;  as  I  can  not  tell  where  one  color 
  ends  and  the  other  begins. 
 
  7.  To  make  account  of  to  regard;  to  reckon;  to  value;  to 
  estimate.  [Obs.] 
 
  I  ne  told  no  dainity  of  her  love.  --Chaucer. 
 
  Note:  Tell  though  equivalent  in  some  respect  to  speak  and 
  say  has  not  always  the  same  application.  We  say  to 
  tell  truth  or  falsehood,  to  tell  a  number,  to  tell  the 
  reasons,  to  tell  something  or  nothing;  but  we  never 
  say  to  tell  a  speech,  discourse,  or  oration,  or  to 
  tell  an  argument  or  a  lesson.  It  is  much  used  in 
  commands;  as  tell  me  the  whole  story;  tell  me  all  you 
  know 
 
  {To  tell  off},  to  count  to  divide.  --Sir  W.  Scott. 
 
  Syn:  To  communicate;  impart;  reveal;  disclose;  inform; 
  acquaint;  report;  repeat;  rehearse;  recite. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Telling  \Tell"ing\,  a. 
  Operating  with  great  effect;  effective;  as  a  telling  speech. 
  --  {Tell"ing*ly},  adv 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  telling 
  adj  1:  disclosing  unintentionally;  "a  telling  smile";  "a  telltale 
  panel  of  lights";  "a  telltale  patch  of  oil  on  the 
  water  marked  where  the  boat  went  down"  [syn:  {revealing}, 
  {telltale(a)}] 
  2:  powerfully  persuasive;  "a  cogent  argument";  "a  telling 
  presentation";  "a  weighty  argument"  [syn:  {cogent},  {weighty}] 
  3:  producing  a  strong  effect;  "gave  an  impressive  performance 
  as  Othello";  "a  telling  gesture"  [syn:  {impressive}] 
  n  1:  an  act  of  narration;  "he  was  the  hero  according  to  his  own 
  relation";  "his  endless  recounting  of  the  incident 
  eventually  became  unbearable"  [syn:  {relation},  {recounting}] 
  2:  informing  by  words  [syn:  {apprisal},  {notifying},  {notification}] 
  3:  disclosing  information  or  giving  evidence  about  another 
  [syn:  {tattle},  {singing}] 

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