Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TALE-TELL-ER, n.

One who tells tales or stories. Guardian.

TALIONIS, or LEX-TALIONIS, n. [Talionis, lex talionis; L.]

In law, the law of retaliation. [See Retaliate.]

TAL'I-PED, n. [L. talus, an ankle, and pes, a foot.]

The disease called club-foot; also, a person affected with this disease.

TAL'IS-MAN, n. [Gr. τέλεσμα, tribute, or τελεσμὀς, accomplishment, both from τεμέω, to terminate. A term introduced into medicine by Apollonius of Lydana. Sprengel.]

1. A magical figure cut or engraved under certain superstitious observances of the configuration of the heavens, to which wonderful effects are ascribed; or it is the seal, figure, character, or image of a heavenly sign, constellation, or planet, engraven on a sympathetic stone, or on a metal corresponding to the star, in order to receive its influence. The talismans of the Samothracians were pieces of iron, formed into images and set in rings, &c. They were held to be preservatives against all kinds of evils. Cyc. Talismans are of three kinds, astronomical, magical and mixed. Hence,
2. Something that produces extraordinary effects; as, a talisman to destroy diseases. Swift.

TAL-IS-MAN'IC, a.

Magical; having the properties of a talisman or preservative against evils by secret influence. Addison.

TALK, n.¹ [tauk.]

1. Familiar converse; mutual discourse; that which is uttered by one person in familiar conversation, or the mutual converse of two or more. Should a man full of talk be justified? Job xi. In various talk th' instructive hours they past. Pope.
2. Report; rumor. I hear a talk up and down of raising money. Locke.
3. Subject of discourse. This noble achievement is the talk of the whole town.
4. Among the Indians of North America, a public conference, as respecting peace or war, negotiation and the like; or an official verbal communication made from them to another nation or its agents, or made to them by the same.

TALK, n.²

A mineral. [See Talck.]

TALK, v.i. [tauk; Dan. tolker; Sw. tolka, to interpret, translate, explain; D. tolken. id.; Russ. tolkuyu, id. This is probably the same word differently applied. The word is formed from tell. See Tell, for the Danish and Swedish.]

1. To converse familiarly; to speak, as in familiar discourse, when two or more persons interchange thoughts. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you; but I will not eat with you. Shak. In æsop's time / When all things talk'd, and talk'd in rhyme. Trumbull. I will come down and talk with thee. Numb. xi. Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way? Luke xxiv.
2. To prate; to speak impertinently. Milton.
3. To talk of, to relate; to tell; to give account. Authors talk of the wonderful remains of Palmyra. The natural histories of Switzerland talk much of the fall of these rocks, and the great damage done. Addison. So shall I talk of thy wondrous works. Ps. cxix.
4. To speak; to reason; to confer. Let me talk with thee of thy judgments. Jer. xii. To talk to, in familiar language, to advise or exhort; or to reprove gently. I will talk to my son respecting his conduct.

TALK-A-TIVE, a. [tauk'ativ.]

Given to much talking; full of prate; loquacious; garrulous. One of the faults of old age is to be talkative.

TALK'A-TIVE-LY, adv.

In a talkative manner.

TALK'A-TIVE-NESS, n. [tauk'ativeness.]

Loquacity; garrulity; the practice or habit of speaking much in conversation. Swift.

TALK'ER, n. [tauk'er.]

1. One who talks; also, a loquacious person, male or female; a prattler. Shak.
2. A boaster. Taylor.

TALK-ING, n. [tauk'ing.]

The act of conversing familiarly; as, foolish talking. Eph. v.

TALK'ING, ppr. [tauk'ing.]

1. Conversing; speaking in familiar conversation. Matth. xvii.
2. adj. Given to talking; loquacious; as, talking age. Goldsmith.

TALL, a. [W. tal; talâu, to grow tall. The primary sense is to stretch or extend; W. tellu, to stretch; Sp. talla, raised work, also stature; talle, shape, size; tallo, a shoot or sprout; talludo, tall, slender; talon, the heel, that is, a shoot; Port. talo, a stalk; taludo, stalky; Ar. طَالَ taula, to be long, to spread, to be extended, to defer or delay, that is, to draw out in time, Eng. dally, Class Dl, No. 20; allied probably to L. tollo, Gr. τελλω. In Sw. tall is a pine-tree.]

1. High in stature; long and comparatively slender; applied to a person, or to a standing tree, mast or pole. Tall always refers to something erect, and of which the diameter is small in proportion to the highth. We say, a tall man or woman, a tall boy for his age; a tall tree, a tall pole, a tall mast; but we never say, a tall house or a tall mountain. The application of the word to a palace or its shadow, in Waller, is now improper. Dark shadows cast, and as his palace tall. Waller.
2. Sturdy; lusty; bold. [Unusual.] Shak.

TAL'LAGE, or TAL'LI-AGE, n. [Fr. tailler, to cut off. See Tail.]

Anciently, a certain rate or tax paid by barons, knights and inferior tenants, toward the public expenses. When it was paid out of knight's fees, it was called scutage; when by cities and burghs, talliage; when upon lands not held by military tenure, hidage. Blackstone.

TAL'LAGE, v.t.

To lay an impost. Bp. Ellis.

TAL'LI-ED, pp.

Scored with correspondent notches; fitted; suited.

TALL'NESS, n.

Highth of stature. [See Tall.]

TAL'LOW, n. [Dan. tælg; D. talk; G. and Sw. talg; Eth. ጠለለ talal, to be fat; Ar. طَلً talla, to be moist. Class Dl, No. 21.]

A sort of animal fat, particularly that which is obtained from animals of the sheep and ox kinds. We speak of the tallow of an ox or cow, or of sheep. This substance grows chiefly about the kidneys and on the intestines. The fat of swine we never call tallow, but lard. I see in English books, mention is made of the tallow of hogs, [see Cyclopedia, article Tallow;] but in America I never heard the word thus applied. It may be applied to the fat of goats and deer. The fat of bears we call bear's grease. Tallow is applied to various uses, but chiefly to the manufacture of candles.

TAL'LOW, v.t.

1. To grease or smear with tallow.
2. To fatten; to cause to have a large quantity of tallow; as, to tallow sheep. Farmers.

TAL'LOW-CAN-DLE, n.

A candle made of tallow.

TAL'LOW-CHAND-LER, n. [chandler is generally supposed to be from the Fr. chandelier, and the word to signify tallow-candler, a maker of candles; for in Fr. chandelier is a tallow-chandler. See Corn-chandler.]

One whose occupation is to make, or to make and sell tallow candles.

TAL'LOW-ED, pp.

1. Greased or smeared with tallow.
2. Made fat; filled with tallow.

TAL'LOW-ER, n.

An animal disposed to form tallow internally. Cyc.