Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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tellan

  • verb [ weak ]
  • preposition
Dictionary links
Grammar
tellan, p. tealde; pp. teald: also forms as from telian occur: ic telge, hí teliaþ; p. telede; p. teled.
Wright's OE grammar
§55; §64; §276; §298; §534;
to tell, narrate, recount, state a case
Show examples

  • Þeáh ic hit lengre telle

    though I make my story longer,

      Chr. 1085; Erl. 218, 31.

  • Dó ðæs lean tó ðám foresprecenan gódum ðe ic ðe ǽr tealde on ðriddan béc,

      Bt. 37, 2; Fox 190, 2.

  • Se sunderhálga tealde his gódan dǽda, swilce God hí nyste,

      Homl. Th. ii. 428, 18.

  • Swegen tealde ðæt his sciperes woldon wændon fram him

    Swegen told (Beorn) that his (Swegen's) men would desert him (Swegen),

      Chr. 1046; Erl. 174, 13.

  • Dauid tealde his ungelimp, and hú hé hine gebæd tó Gode,

      Ps. Th. 34, arg. Ða
    ungewideruuge ðe cómon swá wé beforan tealdon, Chr. 1086; Erl. 219, 33.

  • Hí tealdon him

    (Constantine)

    ða þrowunga ðe úre Hǽlend ðrowode,
      H. R. 5, 21.

  • Telle

    (narres)

    ðínum suna hú oft ic hæbbe fordón ða
      Egiptiscan, Ex. 10, 2.

  • Ute nú tellan (let us state the case) beforan swilcum déman swilce ðú wille

    quovis judice contende,

      Bt. 7, 3; Fox 20, 6.

  • Ús sceamaþ hit nú máre tó tellanne

    we are ashamed to tell any more of the matter,

      Chr. 1050; Erl. 175, 39: 1085; Erl. 218, 35.
to tell, count, reckon, compute, calculate
Show examples

  • Hé teleþ

    (computat)

    ða andfengas ðe hine behéfe synt,
      Lk. Skt. 14, 28.

  • Hé ne telþ hú miccle spéda wé áspendon,

      Homl. Th. i. 580, 17.

  • Se láreów Béda telþ mid micclum gesceáde ðæt se dæg is xii. KL. Aprilis, 100, 13. 'Telle (numera) ǽlcne wépnedman' ... Moises tealde

    (numeravit),

      Num. 3, 15, 16.

  • Eallum ðe ðara cyninga tiide teledon

    cunctis regum tempora computantibus,

      Bd. 3; 1; M. 154, 10.

  • Hí hluton, teledon

    they cast lots and counted,

      Andr. Kmbl. 2207; An. 1105.

  • Tele nú ða lenge ðære hwíle,

      Bt. 18, 3; Fox 66, 6.

  • Tele ðú ða gesǽlþa wiþ ðám sorgum

    strike a balance between the happiness and cares,

      8, tit.; Fox x, 22.

  • Tele ðú ðæs mónan elde kl. Ian. ód ðæt ðú cume tó þrittiga; fóh eft on ðone níwan, tele óð týne

    starting from Jan. 1 with the number that marks the age of the moon on that day, count up to thirty; begin then with the new moon, and count up to ten (the next Sunday after the date so reached will be Septuagesima Sunday),

      Lchdm. iii. 226, 30-228, 2.

  • Telle ðǽs steorran

    numera stellas,

      Gen. 15, 5: Num. 1, 2, 3.
to reckon, account, consider,
with an object having a noun, adjective, or phrase in apposition,
to consider a thing such and such
Show examples

  • Hwam telle ic

    (aestimabo)

    ðás cneórysse gelíce?
      Mt. Kmbl. 11, 16: Lk. Skt. 7, 31.

  • Ic Heaþobeardna hyldo ne telee Denum unfǽcne,

      Beo. Th. 4141; B. 2067.

  • Ǽgleáwra mann ðonne ic mé tælige,

      Andr. Kmbl. 2967; An. 1486.
  • Cyn ðara ðe hý ánsetlan teliaþ; R. Ben. 135, 4.

  • Ic ðæt wénde and witod tealde, ðæt...,

      Exon. Th. 264, 1; Jul. 357.

  • Ðone ic on firenum fæstne talde,

      Elen. Kmbl. 1815; El. 909.

  • Ic mé ǽnigne ... gesacan ne tealde, Beo. Th. 3551; B. 1773. ' Suá suá Saul ǽresð fleáh ðæt ríce said tealde hine selfne his suíðe unwierðne

    sic Saul, qui indignum se prius considerans fugerat,

      Past. 3; Swt. 35, 14: Bd. 3, 14; S. 539, 42: Beo. Th. 1592; B. 794: 3625.
  • B. 1810.

  • Gif se sacerd hine hreófligne tealde,

      Homl. Th. i. 124, 9.

  • Hí hine oferhýdigne tealdon

    eum notantes superbiae,

      Bd. 2, 2; S. 503, 16.

  • Hine Geáta bearn gódne ne tealdon,

      Beo. Th. 4375; B. 2184.

  • Forcúþre is ðæt hé telle hine wísne,

      Wulfst. 59, 5.

  • Ne mæg heó ús leáse tellan

    mendacii arguere nos non potest,

      Gen. 38, 23.

  • Hine sylf ofer ealle men tellan,

      Chr. 1086; Erl. 222, 37.
with an object and prepositional phrase, to consider as (
tó, for, on)
Show examples

  • Ne telle ic eów tó ðeówan

    non dico vos servos,

      Jn. Skt. 15, 15.

  • Wé ðæt sylfe sár and wíte hyre on synne tellaþ

    ipsam ei poenam suam in culpam deputamus,

      Bd. 1, 27; S. 493, 25.

  • Hig tellaþ mín wedd for náht

    irritum facient pactum meum,

      Deut. 31, 20.

  • Ic ðá geþeóde tó micclan gesceáde telede,

      Lchdm. iii. 442, 5.

  • For náhte hé tealde ǽnig ðing tó biddenne búton gesihðe,

      Homl. Th. i. 158, 21.

  • On bócum ðe ungelǽrede men þurh heora bilewitnysse tó micclum wísdóme tealdon

    in books which unlearned men in their simplicity have considered as great wisdom,

      2, 22.

  • Ðonne on úrum móde biþ ácenned sum ðing gódes, and wé ðæt tó weorce áwendaþ, ðonne sceole wé ðæt tellan tó Godes gyfe, and ðæt Gode betǽcan

    consider it as God's grace, and attribute it to God,

      138, 23.

  • Nis nú anweald tó tellanne tó sumum ðara héhsténa góda? ... hwæðer nú gód hlísa sié for náuht tó tellenne? Nis hit nán cyn, ðæt mon ðæt for náuht telle,

      Bt. 24, 4; Fox 86, 14-19.

  • Se untweofealda biþ tó tellenne for fullfremod weorc,

      36, 7; Fox 184, 24.
with a clause
Show examples

  • Hé tealde and wénde ðæt hé sceolde ða byldo his heortan ánescian

    autumans se cordis ejus emollere constantiam,

      Bd., 1, 7; S. 477, 43.

  • Mid ðý hé tealde and hé wénde ðæt hé sweltan sceolde

    cum se aestimasset esse moriturum,

      3, 27; S. 558, 41: Cd. Th. 87, 3; Gen. 1443.

  • Hú ne tealdan wit ðætte genyht wǽre gesǽlþa

    nonne in beatitudine sufficientiam numeravimus?

      Bt. 35, 3; Fox 158, 12.

  • Swá ðætte monige tealdon

    (putarent),

    ðæt heó gehǽled beón mihte,
      Ed. 4, 19; S. 589, 3: Blickl. Homl. 117, 16.
to impute to (dat. or prep.),
ascribe, assign, put a thing to a person's account
Show examples

  • Telle ic ða weorþmynd ðæm wyrhtan næs ná ðé

    ingenium mirabor artificis,

      Bt. 14, 1; Fox 42, 18.

  • Crist tealde ealne his wurðmynt tó his Fæder,

      Homl. Th. ii. 366, 16.

  • Se wer ðam ðe ne tealde

    (imputavit)

    Drihten synne,
      Ps. Lamb. 31, 2.

  • Ðæt ilce gér tó ðæs afterfylgendan cyninges ríce teledon

    idem annus sequentis regis regno adsignaretur,

      Bd. 3, 1; M. 154, 12.

  • Hí ealne ðone bryce uppon ðone cyng tealdon (cf. O. Sax. tellian an to charge; Icel. telja á: see also on-talu)

    they put all the breach of faith upon the king,

      Chr. 1094; Erl. 230, 4.

  • Ne tele ðú him ðis synn

    ne statuas illis hoc peccatum,

      Rtl. 44, 15.

  • Telle hé ðæt Gode, næs him sylfum,

      L. E. I. 21; Th. ii. 416, 18.

  • His niéhstena gód hé sceal tellan him selfum

    he is to reckon as an item in the account of his own prosperity that of his neighbour;

    sua commoda propinquorum bona deputare debet,
      Past. 13; Swt. 79, 1.

  • Se fulla anweald is tó tellanne tó ðám héhstum gódum

    complete power is to be assigned to the class of highest goods,

      Bt. 36, 7; Fox 184, 9.
Etymology
[O. Sax. tellian: O. Frs. tella: O. H. Ger. zellen; p. zalta, zelita numerare, computare, reputare, dicere, referre, narrare, notare, tribuere: Icel. telja.]
Similar entries
v. á-, be-, ge-, tó-tellan; talian.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “tellan.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/30302.

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Full form

Word-wheel

  • tellan, v.; prep.

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