Telling

Telling
Tell Tell (t[e^]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Told} (t[=o]ld); 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. [1913 Webster]

He telleth the number of the stars. --Ps. cxlvii. 4. [1913 Webster]

Tell the joints of the body. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

2. To utter or recite in detail; to give an account of; to narrate. [1913 Webster]

Of which I shall tell all the array. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

And not a man appears to tell their fate. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

3. To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge. [1913 Webster]

Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? --Gen. xii. 18. [1913 Webster]

4. To give instruction to; to make report to; to acquaint; to teach; to inform. [1913 Webster]

A secret pilgrimage, That you to-day promised to tell me of? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. To order; to request; to command. [1913 Webster]

He told her not to be frightened. --Dickens. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

7. To make account of; to regard; to reckon; to value; to estimate. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

I ne told no dainity of her love. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

{To tell off}, to count; to divide. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To communicate; impart; reveal; disclose; inform; acquaint; report; repeat; rehearse; recite. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Telling — Tell ing, a. Operating with great effect; effective; as, a telling speech. {Tell ing*ly}, adv. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • telling — [tel′iŋ] adj. 1. having an effect; forceful; striking [a telling retort] 2. that tells or reveals much SYN. VALID tellingly adv …   English World dictionary

  • telling — index caveat, cogent, conversation, demonstrative (illustrative), determinative, disclosure (act of disclosing), eloquent …   Law dictionary

  • telling — compelling, convincing, cogent, sound, *valid Analogous words: forceful, forcible, *powerful, potent: *effective, effectual, efficacious: *conclusive, decisive, determinative, definitive …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • telling — [adj] effective, significant cogent, considerable, conspicuous, convincing, crucial, decisive, devastating, effectual, forceful, forcible, important, impressive, influential, marked, operative, potent, powerful, satisfactory, satisfying, solid,… …   New thesaurus

  • telling — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ having a striking or revealing effect; significant. DERIVATIVES tellingly adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • telling — [[t]te̱lɪŋ[/t]] tellings 1) N VAR The telling of a story or of something that has happened is the reporting of it to other people. Herbert sat quietly through the telling of this saga... These stories grow in the telling. 2) ADJ GRADED If… …   English dictionary

  • telling — tell|ing1 [ˈtelıŋ] adj 1.) having a great or important effect = ↑significant ▪ a telling argument 2.) showing the true character or nature of someone or something, often without being intended telling comment/example/detail etc >tellingly adv… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • telling — /ˈtɛlɪŋ / (say teling) adjective 1. having force or effect; effective; striking: a telling blow. 2. indicative of one s feelings; revealing: a telling blush. –phrase 3. take a telling, Colloquial to be warned: he ought to take a telling. {tell1 + …  

  • telling — tellingly, adv. /tel ing/, adj. 1. having force or effect; effective; striking: a telling blow. 2. revealing; indicative of much otherwise unnoticed: a telling analysis of motivation in business. [1850 55; TELL1 + ING2] Syn. 1. powerful, forceful …   Universalium

  • telling — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun Telling is used after these nouns: ↑fortune, ↑story {{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}} adj. Telling is used with these nouns: ↑anecdote, ↑criticism, ↑critique, ↑detail, ↑example, ↑phrase, ↑ …   Collocations dictionary

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