tall
Middle English tall, from Old Norse tallr; akin to Old English tal, meaning 'brave, strong'.
ADJ
(1)
[/tɔl/en-US]
Of a great or specified height; having a greater than average vertical dimension. It is used for people, buildings, trees, and other vertical objects.
- He's a very tall man, easily over six feet. — He has a great vertical dimension.
- The new skyscraper is incredibly tall, making it a prominent feature of the city skyline. — The building has a significant height.
- She grew a tall sunflower in her garden, reaching almost ten feet. — The plant achieved a considerable vertical measurement.
NOUN
(1)
[/tɔl/en-US]
altura
/
elevación
formal
/
concept sentence
untranslatable
(The term 'tall' as a noun does not have a direct equivalent; it's commonly expressed as 'altura' which translates more closely to 'height'.)
While predominantly an adjective, 'tall' can rarely be used as a noun, typically to refer to the state or characteristic of being tall, or the dimension of height itself. This usage is uncommon in modern English and often occurs in specialized or archaic contexts, or when referring collectively to tall individuals or objects. In most contexts where one might consider using 'tall' as a noun to mean 'height', the word height is used instead.
| plural |
|---|
| talls |
- The architect carefully considered the tall of the new skyscraper, knowing it would dominate the city skyline. — This refers to the specific vertical dimension or height of the building.
- Among the basketball team, the talls were always chosen for rebounding positions. — This uses 'talls' collectively to refer to the tall players.