tailles

Tailles is the plural form of the French noun taille, which has several related meanings in different contexts. In everyday French, taille can denote size or dimension, as well as the waist (la taille). Therefore tailles can refer to clothing sizes or general measurements, such as lengths, widths, or capacities. The plural is used when listing multiple sizes or measurements (for example, les tailles 38, 40 et 42).

In a historical context, la taille was the direct tax levied in Ancien Régime France. It was paid primarily by the non-noble, non-clerical population and constituted the crown’s principal source of revenue for much of the medieval and early modern periods. The tax was collected locally and varied across provinces and over time. The taille became a focal point of fiscal and political tensions and played a significant role in the financial crises and grievances that culminated in the French Revolution, with reforms and changes to the tax system occurring in the late 18th century.

In modern usage, tailles remains common in two main senses. It is used to talk about garment sizes or body measurements, with la taille also meaning waist in anatomical terms. The plural form tailles is standard when referring to multiple sizes or measurements. The historical sense of la taille as a tax is primarily of interest to students of French history and fiscal history.