A marked innate ability, as for artistic accomplishment. See Synonyms at ability.
Natural endowment or ability of a superior quality.
A person or group of people having such ability: The company makes good use of its talent.
A variable unit of weight and money used in ancient Greece, Rome, and the Middle East.
[Middle English, inclination, disposition, from Old French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, balance, sum of money, from Greek talanton; see telə- in Indo-European roots. Sense 3, Middle English, from Old English talente, from Latin talenta, pl. of talentum, from Greek talanton.]
tal'ent·ed adj., tal'ent·less adj., tal'ent·less·ness n.
1292, "inclination, disposition, will, desire," from O.Fr. talent, from M.L. talenta, pl. of talentum "inclination, leaning, will, desire" (1098), in classical L. "balance, weight, sum of money," from Gk. talanton "balance, weight, sum," from PIE *tel-, *tol- "to bear, carry" (see extol). Originally an ancient unit of weight or money (varying greatly and attested in O.E. as talente), the M.L. and common Romanic sense developed from fig. use of the word in the sense of "money." Meaning "special natural ability, aptitude," developed c.1430, from the parable of the talents in Matt. xxv:14-30.
Talent, OR (city, FIPS 72500) Location: 42.24013 N, 122.78096 W Population (1990): 3274 (1438 housing units) Area: 2.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 97540
Gen"ius\, n.; pl. E. Geniuses; in sense 1, L. Genii. [L. genius, prop., the superior or divine nature which is innate in everything, the spirit, the tutelar deity or genius of a person or place, taste, talent, genius, from genere, gignere, to beget, bring forth. See Gender, and cf. Engine.]1. A good or evil spirit, or demon, supposed by the ancients to preside over a man's destiny in life; a tutelary deity; a supernatural being; a spirit, good or bad. Cf. Jinnee. The unseen genius of the wood. --Milton. We talk of genius still, but with thought how changed! The genius of Augustus was a tutelary demon, to be sworn by and to receive offerings on an altar as a deity. --Tylor. 2. The peculiar structure of mind with whoch each individual is endowed by nature; that disposition or aptitude of mind which is peculiar to each man, and which qualifies him for certain kinds of action or special success in any pursuit; special taste, inclination, or disposition; as, a genius for history, for poetry, or painting. 3. Peculiar character; animating spirit, as of a nation, a religion, a language. 4. Distinguished mental superiority; uncommon intellectual power; especially, superior power of invention or origination of any kind, or of forming new combinations; as, a man of genius. Genius of the highest kind implies an unusual intensity of the modifyng power. --Coleridge. 5. A man endowed with uncommon vigor of mind; a man of superior intellectual faculties; as, Shakespeare was a rare genius. Syn: Genius, Talent. Usage: Genius implies high and peculiar gifts of nature, impelling the mind to certain favorite kinds of mental effort, and producing new combinations of ideas, imagery, etc. Talent supposes general strength of intellect, with a peculiar aptitude for being molded and directed to specific employments and valuable ends and purposes. Genius is connected more or less with the exercise of imagination, and reaches its ends by a kind of intuitive power. Talent depends more on high mental training, and a perfect command of all the faculties, memory, judgment, sagacity, etc. Hence we speak of a genius for poetry, painting. etc., and a talent for business or diplomacy. Among English orators, Lord Chatham was distinguished for his genius; William Pitt for his pre["e]minent talents, and especially his unrivaled talent for debate. Genius loci[L.], the genius or presiding divinity of a place; hence, the pervading spirit of a place or institution, as of a college, etc.
Tal"ent\, n. [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, v. t., Tolerate.]1. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 min[ae] or 6,000 drachm[ae]. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was [pounds]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 [pounds]340 to [pounds]396 sterling, or about $1,645 to $1,916. For gold it was equal to 10,000 gold shekels. 3. Inclination; will; disposition; desire. [Obs.] 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 (--Matt. xxv. 14-30). 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. Syn: Ability; faculty; gift; endowment. See Genius.
Tol"er*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tolerated; p. pr. & vb. n. Tolerating.] [L. toleratus, p. p. of tolerare, fr. the same root as tollere to lift up, tuli, used as perfect of ferre to bear, latus (for tlatus), used as p. p. of ferre to bear, and E. thole. See Thole, and cf. Atlas, Collation, Delay, Elate, Extol, Legislate, Oblate, Prelate, Relate, Superlative, Talent, Toll to take away, Translate.] To suffer to be, or to be done, without prohibition or hindrance; to allow or permit negatively, by not preventing; not to restrain; to put up with; as, to tolerate doubtful practices. Crying should not be tolerated in children. --Locke. We tolerate them because property and liberty, to a degree, require that toleration. --Burke. Syn: See Permit.
of silver contained 3,000 shekels (Ex. 38:25, 26), and was equal to 94 3/7 lbs. avoirdupois. The Greek talent, however, as in the LXX., was only 82 1/4 lbs. It was in the form of a circular mass, as the Hebrew name _kikkar_ denotes. A talent of gold was double the weight of a talent of silver (2 Sam. 12:30). Parable of the talents (Matt. 18:24; 25:15).
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