tailor

¹ American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

British Dialect.

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

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tailor ² 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 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

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

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

Example Sentences

Carley told police that the naval uniform was issued to him legitimately when he was in the cadets but he had rear admiral rings added by a tailor and he had bought medals online.

From BBC

But under the new plans, the onus would shift to confining the offender to specific areas tailored to them.

From BBC

A large new study suggests that tailoring breast cancer screening to a woman's individual risk may be safer and more effective than relying on routine annual mammograms for everyone.

From Science Daily

He said he has learned to tailor his résumé, depending on the company and the role.

From The Wall Street Journal

A clearer understanding of how specific diabetes drugs affect cancer could help doctors tailor treatments more effectively, improving prevention strategies and patient outcomes.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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