tailor

See also: Tailor

English

Alternative forms

• tailour, taylor, taylour (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin tālea

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Late Latin tāliō

Old French taillierder.

Old French tailleorder.

Anglo-Norman taillourbor.

Middle English taillour

English tailor

Inherited from Middle English taillour, from Anglo-Norman taillour, from Old French tailleor, from taillier, from Late Latin tāliō, from Latin tālea (“a cutting”). Doublet of tailleur.

Compare typologically German Schneider (akin to English snithe); Macedonian кројач (krojač), Polish krawiec (akin to Proto-Slavic *krojiti).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈteɪlɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈteɪlə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: tailer
• Rhymes: -eɪlə(ɹ)

Noun

tailor (plural tailors)

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

   Synonyms: needleworker, (rare) tailorer

   Hyponyms: dressmaker, seamer, seamster, seamstress, tailoress

   He works as a tailor on Swanston Street.

2. (Australia) Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).

   Synonym: bluefish

   • 1880, New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Council, Journal (volume 30, part 3, page 460)

     The tailor — is that a sea fish — a line fish? It is a sea fish, but not a line fish. They will bite at a line, but they are not a fish you can depend on with the line.

Derived terms

• merchant tailor
• tailorage
• tailorbird
• tailorcraft
• tailordom
• tailoress
• tailor-fashion
• tailorhood
• tailorism
• tailorize
• tailorless
• tailorlike
• tailorly
• tailor-made
• tailor make
• tailor-make
• tailorman
• tailor's chalk
• tailor's dummy
• tailor's goose
• tailor's ham
• tailorship
• tailor's muscle
• tailor-style
• tailorwise
• tinker tailor grass
• Tooley Street tailor

Related terms

• detail
• tally

Descendants

• → Esperanto: tajloro
• → Hausa: tēlà
• → Telugu: టైలరు (ṭailaru), టైలర్ (ṭailar)
• →⇒ Welsh: teiliwr (suffix replaced with -wr)
• → Yoruba: télọ̀

Translations

person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession

• Albanian: rrobaqepës (sq) m, rrobaqepëse (sq) f, arnues (sq) m, arnuese (sq) f
• Arabic: خَيَّاط m (ḵayyāṭ), خَيَّاطَة f (ḵayyāṭa), تَرْزِي m (tarzī), تَرْزِيَّة f (tarziyya)

  Egyptian Arabic: خياط m (ḵayyāṭ), ترزي m (tarzī)

  Hijazi Arabic: خَيَّاط m (ḵayyāṭ)

  Juba Arabic: terezi

• Armenian: դերձակ (hy) (derjak)
• Assamese: দৰ্জী (dorzi)
• Asturian: xastre (ast) m, sastre m, alfayate m
• Azerbaijani: dərzi (az), biçər, tikişçi
• Bashkir: тегенсе (tiginsi)
• Basque: jostun (eu)
• Belarusian: краве́ц m (kravjéc), краўчы́ха f (krawčýxa)
• Bengali: দর্জি (bn) (dorji), দরজী (dorji), দরজি (bn) (dorji)
• Breton: kemener (br)
• Bulgarian: шива́ч (bg) m (šiváč), шива́чка f (šiváčka)
• Burmese: အပ်ချုပ်သမား (aphkyupsa.ma:)
• Carpathian Rusyn: крайчир m (krajčyr)
• Catalan: sastre (ca) m, sastressa (ca) f
• Chechen: тегархо (tegarxo)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 裁縫 / 裁缝 (coi⁴ fung^4-2)

  Mandarin: 裁縫 / 裁缝 (zh) (cáifeng), 裁縫師傅 / 裁缝师傅 (cáifeng shīfu)

• Cornish: tregher m
• Czech: krejčí (cs) m, krejčíř m
• Danish: skrædder (da) c, skrædderske c (female)
• Dutch: kleermaker (nl) m, kleermaakster (nl) f
• Esperanto: tajloro (eo), virtajloro (male), tajlorino (female)
• Estonian: rätsep
• Faroese: skraddari m
• Finnish: räätäli (fi), vaatturi (fi)
• French: tailleur (fr) m, tailleuse (fr) f
• Galician: xastre (gl) m, alfaiate (gl) m (archaic)
• Georgian: მკერავი (mḳeravi), თერძი (terʒi)
• German: Schneider (de) m, Schneiderin (de) f
• Greek: ράπτης (el) m (ráptis), ράφτης (el) m (ráftis), μόδιστρος (el) m (módistros) μοδίστρα (el) f (modístra)

  Ancient Greek: ῥαφιδεύς m (rhaphideús)

• Gujarati: દરજી (gu) (darjī)
• Hebrew: חַיָּט (he) m (khayát)
• Hindi: दर्ज़ी m or f (darzī)
• Hungarian: szabó (hu)
• Icelandic: klæðskeri (is) m, skraddari m
• Indonesian: penjahit (id)
• Ingrian: ompelija
• Irish: táilliúir m

  Middle Irish: táilliúr m

• Italian: sarto (it) m, sarta (it) f
• Japanese: 仕立て屋 (ja) (したてや, shitateya), テーラー (ja) (tērā)
• Kazakh: тігінші (tiginši)
• Khmer: ជាងកាត់ខោអាវ (ciəng kat khao ʼaaw)
• Korean: 재단사(裁斷師) (ko) (jaedansa)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: xeyat (ku), terzî (ku)

• Kyrgyz: тикмечи (ky) (tikmeci), машинечи (maşineci)
• Ladino:

  Hebrew: שאסטרי m

  Latin: shastre m

• Lao: ຊ່າງຕັດເຄື່ອງຜູ້ຊາຍ (sāng tat khư̄ang phū sāi)
• Latin: sartor m, sartrīx f, scissor m, vestitor m, vestificus m
• Latvian: drēbnieks m, šuvējs m
• Lithuanian: siuvėjas m, siuvėja f
• Livonian: skrūodõr
• Low German:

  German Low German: Snieder m, Sniederin f, Sniedersch f, Sniedersche f

• Macedonian: кро́јач m (krójač), кро́јачка f (krójačka), шнајдер m (šnajder) (slang), терзија m (terzija) (archaic)
• Malagasy: mpanjaitra (mg)
• Malay: tukang jahit
• Maltese: ħajjat m, ħajjata f
• Manchu: ᡮᠠᡳᡶᡠᠩ (ts'aifung)
• Manx: thalhear m
• Māori: kaitui
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: үйлчин (mn) (üjlčin)

• Norman: couôtuthyi m (Jersey), couôtuthiéthe f (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skredder m, skredderske f

  Nynorsk: skreddar m

• Occitan: sartre (oc) m, sastre m
• Old East Slavic: шьвьць m (šĭvĭcĭ)
• Old English: sēamere m, sēamestre f
• Old Leonese: alfayat m
• Old Norse: skraddari m
• Pannonian Rusyn: скравец m (skravec), шнайдер m (šnajder), сабол m (sabol) (obsolete)
• Pashto: خياط (ps) m (xayāt)
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: دَرْزی (darzi), خَیَّاط (xayyât), دوزَنْدِه (dozande)

• Piedmontese: sartor m
• Plautdietsch: Schnieda m
• Polish: krawiec (pl) m pers, krawcowa (pl) f, krawczyni (pl) f
• Portuguese: alfaiate (pt) m, xastre (pt) m (Portugal: Beira, Trás-os-Montes)
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi: ਦਰਜ਼ੀ m (darzī), ਦਰਜ਼ਣ f (darzaṇ)

• Romanian: croitor (ro) m, croitoreasă (ro) f
• Russian: портно́й (ru) m (portnój), портни́ха (ru) f (portníxa), швец (ru) m (švec), швея́ (ru) f (švejá)
• Scottish Gaelic: tàillear m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кро̀ја̄ч m, кроја̀чица f

  Latin: kròjāč (sh) m, krojàčica (sh) f

• Slovak: krajčír m, krajčírka f
• Slovene: krojáč (sl) m, krojáčica f
• Southern Altai: кийим кӧктӧӧр ус (kiyim köktöör us)
• Spanish: sastre (es) m or f, modisto (es) m, modista m or f, costurero (es) m, alfayate (es) m
• Swahili: mshonaji
• Swedish: skräddare (sv) c, skrädderska (sv) c (female)
• Tagalog: mananahi, sastre
• Tajik: либосдӯз (libosdūz), дарзӣ (darzī), дӯзанда (dūzanda), хайёт (xayyot), мошиначӣ (mošinačī)
• Tamil: தையற்கலைஞர் (taiyaṟkalaiñar)
• Tatar: тегүче (tt) (tegüçe)
• Telugu: దర్జీ (te) (darjī)
• Thai: ช่างตัดเสื้อ (châang-dtàt-sʉ̂ʉa)
• Tok Pisin: man bilong samapim klos
• Turkish: terzi (tr), dikici (tr), dikişçi (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: ترزی (terzi), دیكیشجی (dikişci)

• Turkmen: tikinçi
• Ukrainian: краве́ць (uk) m (kravécʹ), кравчи́ня f (kravčýnja)
• Urdu: دَرْزی m or f (darzī), خَیَّاط m (xayyāt)
• Uyghur: تىكىمچى (tikimchi)
• Uzbek: mashinachi (uz), tikuvchi (uz)
• Vietnamese: thợ may (vi)
• Volapük: skrädan (vo), hiskrädan (male), jiskrädan (female)
• Welsh: teiliwr m
• Yiddish: שנײַדער m (shnayder), שנײַדערקע f (shnayderke)
• Yoruba: aránṣọ, télọ̀

female tailor

• Hungarian: szabónő (hu)
• Polish: krawcowa (pl) f, krawczyni (pl) f
• Tok Pisin: meri bilong samapim klos

Pomatomus saltatrix — see bluefish

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} kudristo (eo)
• Latvian: ^{(please verify)} drēbnieks

Verb

tailor (third-person singular simple present tailors, present participle tailoring, simple past and past participle tailored)

1. (ambitransitive) To make, repair, or alter clothes.

   Synonym: fit

   We can tailor that jacket for you if you like.

3. (figurative, transitive) To make or adapt (something) for a specific need.

   Synonyms: fit, shape

   The website was tailored to the client's needs.

   • 2024 December 16, Amanda M. Y. Chu, Damen H. Y. Woo, Agnes Tiwari, Helina Yuk, Mike K. P. So, “Which types of family caregivers are more prone to developing depression? Leveraging non-financial social support to mitigate depression”, in Current Psychology, →DOI:

     [C]aregivers from diverse backgrounds may experience variations in the emergence of depressive symptoms, necessitating distinct strategies for support tailored to their individual needs.

4. (figurative, transitive) To restrict (something) in order to meet a particular need.

   Synonym: shape

   a narrowly tailored law

Derived terms

• retailor
• tailorability
• tailorable

Translations

make, repair, or alter clothing

• Bulgarian: шия (bg) (šija)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 度身訂造 / 度身订造

  Mandarin: 量身定做

• Dutch: kleermaken (nl), op maat maken
• Finnish: räätälöidä (fi); korjailla (fi) (to repair or alter)
• Georgian: გაკერავს (gaḳeravs)
• German: schneidern (de)
• Macedonian: крои (kroi)
• Malay: jahit (ms)
• Polish: szyć (pl) impf
• Portuguese: alfaiatar
• Romanian: croi (ro)
• Russian: шить (ru) (šitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кројити

  Latin: krojiti (sh)

• Slovene: krojiti
• Spanish: confeccionar (es)

adapt for a specific need — see also adapt,‎ calibrate,‎ adjust,‎ compatibilize,‎ cater

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: afstemmen (nl)
• Finnish: räätälöidä (fi)
• Italian: calibrare (it)
• Norwegian: skredde
• Polish: dopasowywać (pl) impf, dopasować (pl) pf
• Romanian: adapta (ro)
• Spanish: entallar (es), cohonestar (es), aportar (es)

restrict something to particular need — see also restrict

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: aanpassen (nl), afstemmen (nl)
• Finnish: räätälöidä (fi)
• French: adapter (fr)
• German: zuschneiden (de), anpassen (de)
• Macedonian: скројува (skrojuva)
• Polish: dopasowywać (pl) impf, dopasować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: adaptar (pt), ajustar (pt)
• Romanian: adapta (ro)
• Russian: приспоса́бливать (ru) (prisposáblivatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: укројити, кројити

  Latin: ukrojiti, krojiti (sh)

• Slovene: ukrojiti
• Spanish: entallar (es)
• Swedish: skräddarsy (sv), anpassa (sv)

See also

• Taylor

References

• Australian Fish and How to Catch Them, Richard Allan, Landsdowne Publishing, 1990, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• Liator, Rialto, Triola