I. ˈgift noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse gift, gipt; akin to Old English & Old High German gift, Gothic fra gifts bestowal, betrothal; derivative from the root of Old English giefan to give — more at give
1. : a special or notable capacity, talent, or endowment either inherent, acquired, or given by a deity
whatever physical gifts she may have are carefully cultivated — Lafcadio Hearn
a sense for mathematics … is mainly a gift of the gods — Bertrand Russell
a gift for pungent satire
sight reading is an acquired gift
2. : something that is voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation: as
a.
(1) : a legal alienation with respect to real estate
(2) : the conveyance of an estate tail as distinguished from a feoffment or from a demise or lease
(3) : a voluntary transfer of real or personal property without any consideration or without a valuable consideration — distinguished from sale
b. Christian religion : one of the communion elements of bread and wine
the Mass of the Presanctified gifts
c. : the point given in the game of seven-up to the eldest hand if he begs and the dealer insists upon the turnup for trump
3. : the act, right, or power of giving or bestowing
the office is not in his gift
4. dialect England : a white speck on the fingernail which is supposed to portend a present
Synonyms:
faculty , aptitude , talent , genius , bent , knack : gift indicates a special capacity inherent in one that facilitates doing, accomplishing, or knowing
their excellent strategy and their gift for intrigue which brought many Indian tribes to their assistance — R.W.Murray
anyone who happens to be blessed or cursed with the gift of humor — Sidney Alexander
faculty in this sense simply indicates any distinct capacity or ability to do or accomplish; it lacks the connotative power of many of the others in this group
there was mental faculty in those pliable brows to see through, and combat, an unwitting Wise Youth — George Meredith
they … recover warmth and animation after the creative faculty has revived them — Ellen Glasgow
aptitude may imply a natural liking for or an inherent potential ability at, without, however, implying anything more than promise
many women … have no aptitude for domestic work — G.B.Shaw
evidence is growing that the feminine mind has a special aptitude for detective fiction — Times Literary Supplement
talent indicates an inherent ability and may suggest an endowment which one should develop, a capacity for effective, facile execution or accomplishment, a less exalted power of accomplishment than is indicated by genius
he had … but to go forward to be supreme as soon as his talent could develop its full effect — Hilaire Belloc
a surpassing talent for improvisation, an ability to call forth genius to flesh out his dreams — Henry Wallace
what Goethe did really say was “the greatest talent ”, not the “the greatest genius ”. The difference is important because, while talent gives the notion of power in a man's performance, genius gives rather the notion of felicity and perfection in it — Matthew Arnold
genius may indicate a strong aptitude for a particular matter, an aptitude ensuring successful execution
has a genius for saying new and suprising things about old subjects — Aldous Huxley
More generally, genius is likely to designate a superior transcendent combination of intelligence, vision, and creative or interpretative power
whose practical sense equaled his intuitive genius — Henry Adams
a really great and successful writer must have a good deal of talent as well as a good deal of genius — J.W.Krutch
bent indicates an inherent inclination to some study or activity which militates toward successful execution
he early showed a bent for journalism, and the year after he reached his majority … he became editor — W.B.Shaw
knack may imply a ready dexterity or adroitness in execution hard to analyze, a dexterity independent of any great mental power
improvision was his knack and forte; he wrote rapidly and much — sometimes an entire novel in a month — Carl Van Doren
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to endow with some power, quality, or attribute : invest
the Lord gifted him with the power of forceful speech
2.
a. chiefly Britain : to make a gift of
gifted the money in memory of his uncle — British Agric. Bulletin
I hear Her Excellency's gifted the land — Kamala Markandaya
b. : to present with a gift : present
generously gifted us with a copy — Saturday Review
gifted his parents with a television set — Sydney (Australia) Sunday Telegraph
gifted her with a large heart-shaped diamond — Louella Parsons