# tall

Pronunciation: say "TAWL" US /tɔl/, UK /tɔːl/

## Adjective

1. Of greater than average height from bottom to top; used of people, and of buildings, trees, and other things whose height is great, especially relative to their width.
   - Simple: Higher than most people or things, measured from the bottom to the top.
   - _The cathedral's tall spire could be seen from across the valley._
   - _Redwoods are among the tallest living things on Earth._
2. Difficult to believe; exaggerated or far-fetched, as a tall story or a tall tale.
   - Simple: Hard to believe because it sounds made up or exaggerated.
   - _The fisherman's tall tale had the trout weighing fifty pounds._
   - _Reporters dismissed the politician's tall claims about the city's finances._
4. Of a coffee-shop drink, the size smaller than grande and larger than short, usually twelve US fluid ounces (about 355 milliliters). *(US)*
   - Simple: A drink size smaller than a grande, usually about twelve ounces.
   - _He ordered a tall cappuccino since the grande was too much caffeine._
   - _He usually orders a grande, but today he went with a tall iced tea._

## Noun

3. A serving size for a drink, especially at Starbucks, holding twelve ounces.
   - Simple: A drink size of twelve ounces, used mainly at coffee shops.
   - _He ordered a tall, not the larger grande._
   - _The barista handed her a tall in a paper cup._
5. A clothing size designed to fit people whose height is greater than average.
   - Simple: A clothing size made for people who are above average height.
   - _This jacket comes in a tall for customers with longer torsos._
   - _She ordered the tall because the standard length never reached her wrists._
6. A person or thing that has a height greater than the average. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: A person or thing that is high from bottom to top.
   - _Among the recruits, the talls were assigned to the back row._
   - _She felt like the only tall in a family of short people._

## Adjective

7. Fine and proper; admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Fine, excellent, and worthy of admiration.
8. Bold and brave; courageous and valiant in the face of danger. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Brave, bold, and full of courage.
9. Seemly and fitting; becoming, comely, and pleasant to look upon. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Attractive, suitable, and pleasing to look at.
10. Obedient and obsequious; eager to serve and to please. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Quick to obey and eager to please.

## Origin

The Middle English adjective tall, tal meant "seemly, handsome, good, bold, large." It came from Old English *tæl, ġetæl, meaning "ready, swift, having mastery of," which goes back to Proto-Germanic *talaz ("submissive, pliable, obedient") and Proto-Indo-European *dol-, *del- ("to reckon, aim, calculate"). Relatives include Scots tal ("high, tall"), Old Frisian tel ("swift") and Gothic untals ("disobedient"). The shift in meaning is striking. Some have guessed that the "high of stature" sense is a separate borrowing from Welsh tal, but the Welsh word itself was borrowed from English.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tall (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).