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talent definition

tal·ent (talənt)

noun

  1. any of various large units of weight or of money (the value of a talent weight in gold, silver, etc.) used in ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle East, etc.
  2. any natural ability or power; natural endowment
  3. a superior, apparently natural ability in the arts or sciences or in the learning or doing of anything
  4. people collectively, or a person, with talent to encourage young talent

Etymology: ME < OE talente < L talentum, a coin, orig., unit of weight < Gr talanton, a unit of money, weight, orig., a balance < IE base *tel-, to lift up, weigh, bear > tolerate: senses 2-4 from the parable of the talents (Matt: 25:14-30)

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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