Lexic.us

Definition of Talent

1. Noun. Natural abilities or qualities.

2. Noun. A person who possesses unusual innate ability in some field or activity.

Definition of Talent

1. n. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minæ or 6,000 drachmæ. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was £243 15s. sterling, or about $1,180.

Definition of Talent

1. Noun. (historical) A unit of weight and money used in ancient times in Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Middle East. (defdate from 9th c.) ¹

2. Noun. (obsolete) A desire or inclination for something. (defdate 14th-16th c.) ¹

3. Noun. After Matthew 25, above: A marked natural ability or skill. (defdate from 15th c.) ¹

4. Noun. (business media sports) People of talent, viewed collectively; a talented person. (defdate from 19th c.) ¹

5. Noun. (slang) The men or (especially) women of a place or area, judged by their attractiveness. (defdate from 20th c.) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Talent

1. a special natural ability [n -S] : TALENTED [adj]

Medical Definition of Talent

1. 1. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minae or 6,000 drachmae. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. Avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was £243 15s. Sterling, or about $1,180. "Rowing vessel whose burden does not exceed five hundred talents." (Jowett (Thucid)) 2. Among the Hebrews, a weight and denomination of money. For silver it was equivalent to 3,000 shekels, and in weight was equal to about 93 lbs. Avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver, it has been variously estimated at from £340 to £396 sterling, or about $1,645 to $1,916. For gold it was equal to 10,000 gold shekels. 3. Inclination; will; disposition; desire. "They rather counseled you to your talent than to your profit." (Chaucer) 4. Intellectual ability, natural or acquired; mental endowment or capacity; skill in accomplishing; a special gift, particularly in business, art, or the like; faculty; a use of the word probably originating in the Scripture parable of the talents . "He is chiefly to be considered in his three different talents, as a critic, a satirist, and a writer of odes." (Dryden) "His talents, his accomplishments, his graceful manners, made him generally popular." (Macaulay) Synonym: Ability, faculty, gift, endowment. See Genius. Origin: F, fr. L. Talentum a talent (in sense 1), Gr. A balance, anything weighed, a definite weight, a talent; akin to to bear, endure, L. Tolerare, tollere, to lift up, sustain, endure. See Thole, Tolerate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Talent

talea taleae talebear talebearer talebearers talebearing talebearing(a) talebearings talebook taled

taleds taleful talegalla taleggio taleggios talent (current term) talent-spotter talent-spotters talent agent talent management

talent scout talented talentless talentlessly talentlessness talents taler talers tales talesman

Literary usage of Talent

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Living Age by Making of America Project, Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell (1913)
"Substitutes for talent. themselves that physical force was the only remedy left to them. ... There are many substitutes for talent; some cheap, some dear, ..."

2. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians by George Grove (1908)
"His first teachers were Riemenschneider and Dufour, both amateurs. The latter, a French emigré, was so much impressed with his pupil's exceptional talent, ..."

3. The Southern Review (1832)
"talent in the ratio of 75 to 100. Since, however, the money of Solon proved ... strictly speaking, the new Attic silver talent must have been to the ..."

4. History of English Literature by Hippolyte Taine (1897)
"V. In this his talent assisted him; for his opinions are akin to his talent. What first strikes us in him is the extreme solidity of his mind. ..."

5. The Novels of Jane Austen by Jane Austen, Reginald Brimley Johnson (1892)
"The curtain over which she had presided with such talent and such success, went off with her to her cottage, where she happened to be particularly in want ..."

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