From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   On 23/10/2025 10:31 a.m., DDeden wrote:   
   >   
   > I can make no sense of the claimed etymology of 'tall' at etymology online   
   nor at Wiktionary.   
   >   
   > Wik: From Middle English tall, talle, tal (“seemly, becoming, handsome,   
   good-looking, excellent, good, valiant, lively in speech, bold, great, large,   
   big”), from Old English *tæl, ġetæl (“swift, ready, having mastery   
   of”), from Proto-   
   Germanic *talaz (“submissive, pliable, obedient”), from Prot   
   -Indo-European *dol-, *del- (“to aim, calculate, adjust, reckon”).   
   >   
   > Does anyone agree with that?   
      
   I don't think I've ever even looked into this word's origins before.   
   It's surprising.   
      
   Watkins' version has PIE *del 'to recount, count' (also the root of   
   TELL, TALE, TALK). The only intermediate form he cites is OE getæl   
   'quick, ready' (from West Germanic *(ge-)tala. This seems essentially   
   like what you found, but a lot needs filling in.   
      
   So to OED: The words "uncertain" and "obscure" both appear early in   
   their etymological discussion.   
      
   With Old English getæl (plural ge-tale) 'swift, prompt' they compare Old   
   High German gizal, Middle High German gezal 'quick', and more remotely   
   Gothic untals 'unaccommodating, uncompliant, disobedient' and Old   
   Northumbrian untal 'evil, improper'. This establishes a likely Germanic   
   origin.   
      
   I can see a "quick" ~ "obedient" connection there, but the relation to   
   *del is not immediately apparent. Your PIE and PGmc glosses suggest a   
   possible bridge, I guess.   
      
   OED's English senses in order:   
      
   I.1  Quick, prompt, ready, active (one uncertain OE use, otherwise 1374)   
   I.2a  Meet, becoming, seemly, proper, decent  (1440)   
   I.2b  Comely, goodly, fair, handsome; elegant, fine (1450)   
   I.3   Good at arms, stout or strong in combat; doughty, brave, bold,   
   valiant (1529)   
      
   II.6.a.i  High in stature, of more than average height (person or   
   animal)  (1530)   
   II.7      (used of other things: ships, trees, mountains)  (1548)   
      
      
   This looks a little easier to believe. It's a peculiarly English   
   situation. In my experience, looking for a word for "tall" in other   
   languages, it will almost always be the same as "long" or "big" or "high".   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)