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Definition of prodigy - 6 dictionary results

prod⋅i⋅gy

[prod-i-jee]
–noun, plural -gies.
1. a person, esp. a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability: a musical prodigy.
2. a marvelous example (usually fol. by of).
3. something wonderful or marvelous; a wonder.
4. something abnormal or monstrous.
5. Archaic. something extraordinary regarded as of prophetic significance.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME prodige < L prōdigium prophetic sign
prod·i·gy   (prŏd'ə-jē)   
n.   pl. prod·i·gies
  1. A person with exceptional talents or powers: a math prodigy.
  2. An act or event so extraordinary or rare as to inspire wonder. See Synonyms at wonder.
  3. A portentous sign or event; an omen.

[Middle English prodige, portent, from Latin prōdigium.]

Prodigy

Prod"i*gy\, n.; pl. Prodigies. [ L. prodigium; pro before + (perh.) a word appearing in adagium adage: cf. F. prodige. Cf. Adage. ]

1. Something extraordinary, or out of the usual course of nature, from which omens are drawn; a portent; as, eclipses and meteors were anciently deemed prodigies.

So many terrors, voices, prodigies, May warn thee, as a sure foregoing sign. --Milton.

2. Anything so extraordinary as to excite wonder or astonishment; a marvel; as, a prodigy of learning.

3. A production out of ordinary course of nature; an abnormal development; a monster. --B. Jonson.

Syn: Wonder; miracle; portent; marvel; monster.
Language Translation for : prodigy
Spanish: prodigio,
German: das Wunder,
Japanese: 驚嘆すべきもの

prodigy 
1494, "sign, portent, something extraordinary from which omens are drawn," from L. prodigium "sign, omen, portent, prodigy," from pro- "forth" + -igium, a suffix or word of unknown origin, perhaps from *agi-, root of aio "I say" (see adage). Meaning "child with exceptional abilities" first recorded 1658.

Prodigy networking
A commercial on-line conferencing service, co-developed by IBM and Sears, Roebuck, Inc.
Prodigy's main competitors are AOL and Compuserve.
(1995-03-01)

prodigy

a child who, by about age 10, performs at the level of a highly trained adult in a particular sphere of activity or knowledge. In this sense, neither high intelligence nor eccentric skills by themselves qualify a child as a prodigy. Rather, it is the capacity to perform in a recognized area of endeavour in such a way as to receive broad acclaim that defines the prodigy. Therefore, individuals who are chess prodigies or "lightning calculators" (those who have a remarkable memory for figures) but who are otherwise mentally or developmentally disabled (such as "idiot savants") are not prodigies.

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