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tell |
6 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]: Tell \Tell\, v. i. 1. To give an account; to make report. That I may publish with the voice of thankgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works --Ps. xxvi. 7. 2. To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as every shot tells; every expression tells. {To tell of}. a To speak of to mention; to narrate or describe. b To inform against; to disclose some fault of {To tell on}, to inform against. [Archaic & Colloq.] Lest they should tell on us saying, So did David. --1 Sam. xxvii. 11. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Tell \Tell\, n. That which is told; tale; account. [R.] I am at the end of my tell --Walpole. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Tell \Tell\, n. [Ar.] A hill or mound. --W. M. Thomson. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: Tell n : a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap) [syn: {Tell}, {William Tell}] v 1: express an idea, etc in words "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion" [syn: {state}, {say}] 2: let something be known "Tell them that you will be late" 3: narrate or give a detailed account of "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" [syn: {narrate}, {recount}, {spin}, {recite}] 4: tell somebody to do something "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping" [syn: {order}, {enjoin}, {say}] 5: discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy" 6: state positively and with certainty and confidence; "I tell you that man is a crook!" [syn: {assure}] 7: reveal; "a telling sign" [syn: {ascertain}, {demonstrate}, {evidence}] 8: mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple" [syn: {distinguish}, {separate}, {differentiate}, {secern}, {secernate}, {severalize}, {tell apart}] From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: Tell TX Zip code(s): 79259
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