TALE

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English talu; akin to Old Norse tala talk Date: before 12th century discourse , talk , 2. a series of events or facts told or presented ; account , b. a report of a private or confidential matter , a libelous report or piece of gossip, 3. a usually imaginative narrative of an event ; story , an intentionally untrue report ; falsehood , 4. count , tally , total