tailor

¹ American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, especially suits, coats, and other outer garments.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make by tailor's work.

2. to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc..

   to tailor one's actions to those of another.

3. to fit or furnish with clothing.

4. Chiefly U.S. Military.  to make (a uniform) to order; cut (a ready-made uniform) so as to cause to fit more snugly; taper.

verb (used without object)

1. to do the work of a tailor.

tailor ² American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a stroke of a bell indicating someone's death; knell.

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tailor British  

/ ˈteɪlə /

noun

1. a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear

2. a voracious and active marine food fish, Pomatomus saltator, of Australia with scissor-like teeth

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verb

1. to cut or style (material, clothes, etc) to satisfy certain requirements

2. (tr) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific

   he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience

3. (intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor

Etymology

Origin of tailor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor, from taill(ier) “to cut” (from Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea “rod, cutting,” literally, “heel-piece”; tally ) + -or -or ²

Origin of tailor¹

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

Example Sentences

These provide tailored housing advice and guidance, access to a GP, toilets, shower facilities, hot food, hot beverages, a postal service, bedding, clothing and access to volunteer-led activities.

From BBC

In mice, the brain's prefrontal cortex, which serves as a major center for executive control, sends tailored signals to regions involved in vision and movement.

From Science Daily

Their strategies vary by company and industry, but include tailoring products to Chinese tastes, developing them at a faster pace, marketing them differently and lowering prices.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 'Manage Topics' feature is intended to help people tailor their 'for you page' to ensure users have a range of content in their feed, rather than removing or replacing content entirely.

From BBC

Office workers weren’t the only fans of these new duds: Gold Rushers who didn’t want to waste time on personal tailoring snapped them up on their way West.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accommodate
• adapt
• alter
• conform
• fit
• modify