tael (t?l)n.1. Any of various units of weight used in eastern Asia, roughly equivalent to 38 grams (1 1/3 ounces).2. A unit of currency formerly used in China, equivalent in value to this weight of standard silver.[Portuguese, from Malay tahil, probably from Javanese, from Old Javanese tahil, to weigh.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tael (te?l) n1. (Units) a unit of weight, used in the Far East, having various values between one to two and a half ounces2. (Currencies) (formerly) a Chinese monetary unit equivalent in value to a tael weight of standard silver[C16: from Portuguese, from Malay tahil weight, perhaps from Hindi tol? weight of a new rupee, from Sanskrit tul? weight]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014tael (te?l) n. 1. liang. 2. any of various units of weight in the Far East. 3. a former Chinese money of account equal in value to a tael of silver. [1580?90;