— tableless , adj.
/tay"beuhl/ , n. , v. , tabled, tabling , adj.
n.
1. an article of furniture consisting of a flat, slablike top supported on one or more legs or other supports: a kitchen table; an operating table; a pool table.
2. such a piece of furniture specifically used for serving food to those seated at it.
3. the food placed on a table to be eaten: She sets a good table.
4. a group of persons at a table, as for a meal, game, or business transaction.
5. a gaming table.
6. a flat or plane surface; a level area.
7. a tableland or plateau.
8. a concise list or guide: a table of contents.
9. an arrangement of words, numbers, or signs, or combinations of them, as in parallel columns, to exhibit a set of facts or relations in a definite, compact, and comprehensive form; a synopsis or scheme.
10. ( cap. ) Astron. the constellation Mensa.
11. a flat and relatively thin piece of wood, stone, metal, or other hard substance, esp. one artificially shaped for a particular purpose.
12. Archit.
a. a course or band, esp. of masonry, having a distinctive form or position.
b. a distinctively treated surface on a wall.
13. a smooth, flat board or slab on which inscriptions may be put.
14. tables ,
a. the tablets on which certain collections of laws were anciently inscribed: the tables of the Decalogue.
b. the laws themselves.
15. Anat. the inner or outer hard layer or any of the flat bones of the skull.
16. Music. a sounding board.
17. Jewelry.
a. the upper horizontal surface of a faceted gem.
b. a gem with such a surface.
18. on the table , Parl. Proc.
a. U.S. postponed.
b. Brit. submitted for consideration.
19. turn the tables , to cause a reversal of an existing situation, esp. with regard to gaining the upper hand over a competitor, rival, antagonist, etc.: Fortune turned the tables and we won. We turned the tables on them and undersold them by 50 percent.
20. under the table ,
a. drunk.
b. as a bribe; secretly: She gave money under the table to get the apartment.
21. wait (on) table , to work as a waiter or waitress: He worked his way through college by waiting table. Also, wait tables .
v.t.
22. to place (a card, money, etc.) on a table.
23. to enter in or form into a table or list.
24. Parl. Proc.
a. Chiefly U.S. to lay aside (a proposal, resolution, etc.) for future discussion, usually with a view to postponing or shelving the matter indefinitely.
b. Brit. to present (a proposal, resolution, etc.) for discussion.
adj.
25. of, pertaining to, or for use on a table: a table lamp.
26. suitable for serving at a table or for eating or drinking: table grapes.
[ bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE tabule, var. of tabula ]