Tailored

How to spell tailored

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce tailored

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does tailored mean?

1. adjectiveMade or cut to fit a particular person or shape, especially of clothing.
2. verbPast tense of tailor: adapted or customised something to suit a specific purpose or audience.

Tailored in a sentence

• adjective

  The wedding suit was beautifully tailored across the shoulders.

• verb

  The trainer tailored the workshop to the experience level of the staff.

• adjective

  She prefers a tailored jacket that follows the line of her waist.

• verb

  The agency tailored its pitch to match the client's budget.

Where does tailored come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back to the Old French tailleur, meaning a cutter, which came from the verb taillier, 'to cut', and ultimately from the Late Latin taliare, 'to split or cut'. That Latin verb was built on talea, a word for a slender rod, a twig, or a cutting taken from a plant, so the original idea was very much about cutting and shaping material. English borrowed the noun 'tailor' in the 1200s for a craftsman who cut and stitched garments, and the verb 'to tailor' followed, meaning to make clothing fit a particular body. By extension the verb came to mean adapting or customising anything to suit a specific need, and 'tailored' is simply its past tense and adjective form. The same Latin root for cutting also surfaces in 'detail' and 'retail', both of which involve dividing things into smaller pieces.

How the word is built

• tailor (one who cuts and sews cloth)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)