Talent
['tælənt]
Definition
(noun.) a person who possesses unusual innate ability in some field or activity.
Editor: Will--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) 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.
(v. t.) 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.
(v. t.) Inclination; will; disposition; desire.
(v. t.) 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).
Inputed by Alisa
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. Gift, faculty, capacity, endowment, ability, ableness, power, parts, GENIUS, turn, aptitude, aptness, knack, forte.
Checker: Melva
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Genius, ability, aptitude, cleverness, gift, endowment, faculty, parts,capacity
ANT:Inability, stupidity, imbecility, incompetence
Checked by Aron
Definition
n. an ancient weight or denomination of money—in the Attic system of money (N.T.) 100 drachm made a mn (pound Luke xix. 13) and 6000 made a talent; this talent weighed 57 lb. avoirdupois and in value may be put roughly at about ?13-?35 the mn?at about ?: faculty: any natural or special gift: special aptitude: eminent ability: abundance.—adjs. Tal′ented possessing mental gifts; Tal′entless without talent.
Checked by Brits
Examples
- Hawley has been having him to dinner lately: there's a fund of talent in Bowyer. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- The organization was crude, the steam-engineering talent poor, and owing to the impossibility of getting any considerable capital subscribed, the plants were put in as cheaply as possible. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- The contest,' said Pott, 'shall be prolonged so long as I have health and strength, and that portion of talent with which I am gifted. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Where the goodness or talent of your friend is beyond and above all doubt, your own worthiness to be his associate often becomes a matter of question. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- He was a good musician, a skilful draughtsman and painter, something of a poet, and had shown considerable talent in designing and building a variety of toy machines. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- And we shall always want talent in the House: reform as we will, we shall always want talent. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Can I be so weak as to imagine that Mr. Micawber, wielding the rod of talent and of power in Australia, will be nothing in England? Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Finally he set aside ten thousand talents (a talent = ?240) for a tomb. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Mr. Micawber is a man of great talent, Master Copperfield. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- The fact is my father showed the exact sort of talent for a statesman. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- But to win you need talent and material. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- You (blushing as she spoke) who can see into every body's heart; but nobody else Upon my word, said Emma, I begin to doubt my having any such talent. Jane Austen. Emma.
- There is always some talent in it. Jane Austen. Emma.
- Talent isn't genius, and you can't make it so. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- I certainly have not the talent which some people possess, said Darcy, of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- Southey spoke of him as a miraculous young man, at whose talents he could only wonder. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- So mild and ladylikeand with such talents! Jane Austen. Emma.
- The strengtheners and the lowerers were all clever men in somebody's opinion, which is really as much as can be said for any living talents. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- I have not seen a man who, if he turns his talents that way, was more calculated to fill the gap left by the illustrious Moriarty. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- I love home, I am somewhat domestic, I love, dearly love my parents, and wish to improve the little talents God has given me. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- The man was beset by friends who told him he was mad to continue the chase, and that his undoubted talents in other lines were being wasted. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- The one thing Congress has not done is to use the talents of business men for the nation's advantage. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Finally he set aside ten thousand talents (a talent = ?240) for a tomb. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I hope my mother is now convinced that I have no more talents than inclination for a public life! Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- To excel in any profession, in which but few arrive at mediocrity, it is the most decisive mark of what is called genius, or superior talents. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- An eloquent catalogue appeared in a weekly print, describing his virtues, his magnificence, his talents, and his good actions. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- You might have used your talents better. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- I perhaps owe to these circumstances the little talents that I have and their peculiar application. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- To the end of turning to profit the talents which God has committed to your keeping; and of which He will surely one day demand a strict account. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- And I never knew much of my father, beyond what my mother told me; but he inherited the musical talents. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
Typed by Brian