/tayl/ ; Fr. /tah"yeu/ , n. , pl. tailles /taylz/ ; Fr. /tah"yeu/ .
1. French Hist. a tax that was levied by a king or seigneur on his subjects or on lands held under him and that became solely a royal tax in the 15th century from which the lords and later the clergy were exempt.
2. (in dressmaking) the waist or bodice of a garment.
3. Obs. the shape of one's body from shoulders to waist; figure; build.
[ 1545-55; 2 ]