Tells

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /tɛlz/

Definitions

1. Communicates information to someone ; reveals or discloses something previously unknown
2. Conveys facts or messages to another party ; makes known a secret or hidden detail
3. Expresses or imparts knowledge verbally or otherwise ; uncovers or shares what was not apparent before

Etymology: The most striking part of this word's story is that its core sense of counting is still present in the verb. Old English "tellan" meant "to count, tell," and the idea of enumerating things one by one slid over into recounting events in order, then into passing on information. English still keeps the older sense in phrases like "tell the votes" or "all told," where a teller counts ballots in a parliamentary division, and in the bank teller who counts out money. The word has deep roots across the Germanic languages. Its relatives include Dutch "tellen" (to count) and "vertellen" (to tell a story), and German "zählen" (to count), so the link between counting and speaking is shared across the family. The Germanic root traces back to a Proto-Indo-European base linked to calculation. "Tells" is simply the third-person singular present form of "tell," so it carries the same history: a verb that began with arithmetic and came to mean the sharing of what was known.

Synonyms: informs, communicates, relays, discloses, imparts

Antonyms: conceals, withholds, hides, keeps, secrets