tael

[ teyl ]

noun
  1. any of various similar units of weight in East Asia.

  1. a former Chinese money of account, being the value of this weight of standard silver.

Origin of tael

1
First recorded in 1580–90; from Portuguese from Malay tahil “liang”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tael in a sentence

  • He possesses great speed and endurance, and wealthy Chinese will give as much as four or five hundred taels for a good one.

    Life and sport in China | Oliver G. Ready
  • Learn, puny wayfarer, that in a single day the profit of my various enterprises exceeds a hundred taels of silver.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah
  • In the meanwhile he married Hoa-mi, being able to display thirty-seven taels and nearly five hundred cash towards that end.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah
  • The journey will be a costly task at this season of the rains; it cannot possibly be accomplished for less than fifty taels.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah
  • You can then, without undue effort, impose on him the thousand taels that you have suffered loss from those of his house.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah

British Dictionary definitions for tael

tael

/ (teɪl) /


noun
  1. a unit of weight, used in the Far East, having various values between one to two and a half ounces

  2. (formerly) a Chinese monetary unit equivalent in value to a tael weight of standard silver

Origin of tael

1
C16: from Portuguese, from Malay tahil weight, perhaps from Hindi tolā weight of a new rupee, from Sanskrit tulā weight

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012