DictionaryRoot: tellan
Old English

tellan

to count, reckon

1 / 4
A person gives spoken directions to a traveler by pointing toward a distant bridge, clear communication.
verb / noun

tell

TEL/tel/

To convey information to another.

Etymology

Tellan's counting sense developed into narrating or giving an account, then making information known by speech or writing. The older sense survives in “all told,” meaning “when all are counted.”

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