different between tall vs dear

English

Etymology

From Middle English tall, talle, tal (“seemly, becoming, handsome, good-looking, excellent, good, valiant, lively in speech, bold, great, large, big”), from Old English *tæl, ?etæl (“swift, ready, having mastery of”), from Proto-Germanic *talaz (“submissive, pliable, obedient”), from Proto-Indo-European *dol-, *del- (“to aim, calculate, adjust, reckon”). Cognate with Scots tal (“high, lofty, tall”), Old Frisian tel (“swift”), Old Saxon gital (“quick”), Old High German gizal (“active, agile”), Gothic ???????????????????????? (untals, “indocile, disobedient”).

The Oxford English Dictionary notes: "The sense development [of tall] is remarkable, but is paralleled more or less by that of other adjectives expressing estimation, such as buxom, canny, clean, clever, cunning, deft, elegant, handsome, pretty, proper; German klein, as compared with English clean, presents the antithesis to modern tall as compared to tall in early Middle English. It has been conjectured that in the sense 'high of stature' it is a different word, adopted from the Welsh tal in some sense; but the latter is, according to Professor Rh?s, merely a 16th-century borrowing of the English word (in Owen Pughe's Dictionary erroneously mixed up with the genuine Welsh word tal (“end, brow, forehead”), with which it has no possible connection.)"

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /t??l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /t?l/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /t?l/
• Rhymes: -??l

Adjective

tall (comparative taller, superlative tallest)

1. (of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
2. (of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.
3. (of a story) Hard to believe, such as a tall story or a tall tale.
4. (chiefly US, of a cup of coffee) A cup of coffee smaller than grande, usually 8 ounces.
5. (obsolete) Obsequious; obedient.
6. (obsolete) Seemly; suitable; fitting, becoming, comely; attractive, handsome.
7. (obsolete) Bold; brave; courageous; valiant.
8. (archaic) Fine; proper; admirable; great; excellent.

Antonyms

• (of a person): short
• (of a building): short, low, low-rise

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Welsh: tal

Translations

Noun

tall (plural talls)

1. (possibly nonstandard) Someone or something that is tall.

References

• tall at OneLook Dictionary Search

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *talna, related to Lithuanian tylù (“to become silent”), Old Irish tuilid (“to sleep”), Proto-Slavic *toliti (“to persuade, to make quiet”).

Verb

tall (first-person singular past tense talla, participle tallur)

1. to laugh at
2. to mock

Derived terms

• tallje

References

Breton

Adjective

tall

1. Hard mutation of dall.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin talea.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?ta?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Noun

tall m (plural talls)

1. cut

Further reading

• “tall” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Estonian

Etymology 1

Noun

tall (genitive talle, partitive talle)

1. lamb

Declension

Note: the short plural forms from illative onward are almost never used.

Etymology 2

Noun

tall (genitive talli, partitive talli)

1. horse stable

Declension

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse tal (“talk, speech, number”), from Proto-Germanic *tal? (“number, speech”).

Noun

tall n (definite singular tallet, indefinite plural tall, definite plural talla or tallene)

1. number, numeral, figure

Derived terms

See also

• tal (Nynorsk)

References

• “tall” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

tall f (definite singular talla or talli, indefinite plural taller, definite plural tallene)

1. form removed with the spelling reform of 2012; superseded by toll

Old Irish

Adverb

tall

1. there

2. then

Descendants

• Irish: thall
• Scottish Gaelic: thall

Determiner

tall

1. that (used after the noun, which is preceded by the definite article)

Synonyms

• sin

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tal/

Noun

tall c

1. pine, Scots pine tree, Pinus sylvestris

Declension

Synonyms

• fura
• fur (uncountable)

Related terms

• tallkotte
• tallväxter

See also

• barrväxter
• furu
• furutimmer
• furuträ
• falla som en fura

Anagrams

• allt

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /d??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d??/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /di??/
• Rhymes: -??(r)
• Homophones: deer, Deere

Etymology 1

From Middle English dere, from Old English d?ere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scots dere, deir (“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisian djuur (“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), Danish dyr (“expensive”), Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”).

Adjective

dear (comparative dearer, superlative dearest)

1. (generally dated) High in price; expensive.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice, Act IV Scene 1

     There's more depends on this than on the value.

     The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,

     And find it out by proclamation:

     Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

   • 1902, Briquettes as Fuel in Foreign Countries (report of the United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce):

     This water is sold for 50 cents per ton, which is not dear under the circumstances.

   • 1966, The Beatles, When I'm Sixty-Four

     Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.

2. Loved; lovable.
   • So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

3. Lovely; kind.
4. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt

5. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.

6. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.

7. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
8. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior.

9. (obsolete) Noble.

Derived terms

Related terms

• darling

Translations

Noun

dear (plural dears)

1. A very kind, loving person.

   My cousin is such a dear, always drawing me pictures.

2. A beloved person.
3. An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.

   Pass me the salt, would you dear?

Synonyms

• (kind loving person): darling

Derived terms

• oh dear
• the dear knows

Translations

Verb

dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)

1. (obsolete) To endear.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shelton to this entry?)

Derived terms

• bedear

Adverb

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. dearly; at a high price

Interjection

dear

1. Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.

   Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?

See also

• oh dear
• dear me

Etymology 2

From Middle English dere (“fierce, severe, hard, deadly”), from Old English d?or, d?r (“brave, bold; severe, dire, vehement”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzaz. Cognate with the above

Adjective

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. Severe, or severely affected; sore.
2. (obsolete) Fierce.

Translations

References

• The Middle English Dictionary

Anagrams

• 'eard, DARE, Dare, Rade, Read, Reda, ared, dare, rade, read

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [d?a??]

Verb

dear (present analytic dearann, future analytic dearfaidh, verbal noun dearadh, past participle deartha)

1. To draw (design).

Conjugation

Mutation