Etymograph

English

tailor

Tailor comes from Old French taillier ‘to cut’, and goes back to Latin tālea ‘a cutting’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtālea1‘a cutting’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtāliō1‘to cut’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400taillier1‘to cut’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tailleor1
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400taillour1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500taillour1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1880tailor1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English tailor
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1880, New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative, Journal (volume 30: “The tailor — is that a sea fish —…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtāleaWiktionary, English tailor‘a cutting’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtāliōWiktionary, English tailor‘to cut’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400taillierWiktionary, English tailor‘to cut’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tailleorWiktionary, English tailor
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400taillourWiktionary, English tailor
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500taillourWiktionary, English tailor
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1880tailorWiktionary, English tailor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1880, New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative, Journal (volume 30: “The tailor — is that a sea fish —…”

Linked words

through Latin tālea ‘a cutting’

tally, entail, intaglio, 10 more

through Late Latin tāliō ‘to cut’

retaliate, 2 more

Today it means

noun A person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tailor”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin tālea / tailor

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