tales

[teylz, tey-leez]

noun

Law.

1. (used with a plural verb),  persons chosen to serve on the jury when the original panel is insufficiently large: originally selected from among those present in court.

2. (used with a singular verb),  the order or writ summoning such jurors.

tales

/ ˈteɪliːz /

noun

1. (functioning as plural) a group of persons summoned from among those present in court or from bystanders to fill vacancies on a jury panel

2. (functioning as singular) the writ summoning such jurors

Other Word Forms

• talesman noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tales¹

1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin tālēs ( dē circumstantibus ) such (of the bystanders)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tales¹

C15: from Medieval Latin phrase tālēs dē circumstantibus such men from among the bystanders, from Latin tālis such

Example Sentences

So “Megadoc” is not an autopsy of disaster along the lines of “Hearts of Darkness” or “Burden of Dreams” or “American Movie” or “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” all tales of filmmakers tipping over into tragedy.

From Los Angeles Times

“These two areas are cautionary tales for what happens when the military gains control of the skies — even if the land underneath remains technically public,” she wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times

Those who were in Sin City that week in December 2007 tell tales of thousands of British fight fans emptying the bars of alcohol.

From BBC

These feel-good features function almost like folk tales: a recognizable parable in which a benevolent stranger swoops in to resolve a community’s shameful problem, restoring order before the credits roll.

From Salon

The palace was said to have provided shelter to Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope and a player in epic tales of the Trojan War’s aftermath.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• account 
• anecdote 
• fable 
• fiction 
• legend 
• myth 
• narrative 
• novel 
• short story 
• yarn