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

Add this to the list of welfare-state cautionary tales out of Europe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

No matter how fantastical “Trifole” eventually becomes, the filmmakers insist the plot points derive from tales they collected.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The school had recently joined forces with The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation as part of an intergenerational stories project where students meet with older people to share tales.

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For Mr Crory, tales of puffins once breeding on the Isle of Muck "felt more like folklore", but the myth is now becoming a reality.

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This not only helps the newer fans who may not have heard these tales before, but it also allows Smith to retain control of her life story and legacy.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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