Definition of Gift

by Dan Rimon

gift

[gift] 
 
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1.
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to showfavor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture ofassistance; present.
2.
the act of giving.
3.
something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by therecipient or without its being earned:
Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.
4.
a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent:
the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.
verb (used with object)
5.
to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
6.
to present (someone) with a gift:
just the thing to gift the newlyweds.
Origin of gift
Middle English
Old Norse
1125-1175
1125-75; Middle English < Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift(Middle English yift) marriage gift; akin to give
Related forms
giftless, adjective
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
1. donation, contribution, offering, benefaction, endowment, bounty, boon,largess, alms, gratuity, tip, premium, allowance, subsidy, bequest, legacy,inheritance, dowry. 4. faculty, aptitude, capability, bent, forte, genius,turn, knack.
Synonym Study
1. See present2.

GIFT

[gift] 
 
noun
1.
gamete intrafallopian transfer: a laparoscopic process in which eggsare retrieved from an ovary by aspiration and inserted, along withsperm, into the fallopian tube of another woman.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for gift
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • If a chap's not born with the gift he's an ass to think he can acquire it.

    The Spenders Harry Leon Wilson 

  • He can't acquire the gift, and no more can a chap acquire this gift.

    The Spenders Harry Leon Wilson 

  • Thank you, Robert; I will accept your gift with thanks on one condition.

    Brave and Bold Horatio Alger 

  • Two puppies were carried in a basket, one of which the Princess acceptedas a gift.

    The Grand Old Man Richard B. Cook 

  • Grace's face was alight with appreciation of Mrs. Gray's gift.

    Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus Jessie Graham Flower 
British Dictionary definitions for gift

gift

/ɡɪft/
noun
1.
something given; a present
2.
a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent
3.
the power or right to give or bestow (esp in the phrases in the gift of, in (someone's) gift)
4.
the act or process of giving
5.
(usually negative) look a gift-horse in the mouth, to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit
verb (transitive)
6.
to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
7.
(often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift
8.
(rare) to endow with; bestow
Derived Forms
giftless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English gift payment for a wife, dowry; related to Old Norse gipt, Old High German gift, Gothic fragifts endowment, engagement; see give

GIFT

/ɡɪft/
noun acronym
1.
gamete intrafallopian transfer: a technique, similar to in vitro fertilization, that enables some women who are unable to conceive to bear children. Egg cells are removed from the woman's ovary, mixed with sperm, and introduced into one of her Fallopian tubes
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for gift
n.

mid-13c. (c.1100 in surnames), from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norsegift, gipt "gift, good luck," from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (cf. Old Saxon gift, Old Frisian jefte, Middle Dutch ghifte "gift," German Mitgift "dowry"), fromPIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive" (see habit ). 

For German Gift "poison," see poison (n.). Old English cognate gift meant"bride-price, marriage gift (by the groom), dowry" (Old English noun for"giving, gift" was related giefu). Sense of "natural talent" is c.1300,perhaps from earlier sense of "inspiration" (late 12c.). As a verb from 16c.,especially in gifted. As a verb, giftwrap (also gift-wrap) attested by 1936.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for gift

gift

Related Terms

god's gift

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with gift

gift

In addition to the idiom beginning with gift also see: look a gift horse in the mouth
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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