talent

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A marked innate ability, as for artistic accomplishment. See Synonyms at ability.
2. n. Natural endowment or ability of a superior quality.
3. n. A person or group of people having such ability: The company makes good use of its talent.
4. n. A variable unit of weight and money used in ancient Greece, Rome, and the Middle East.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To ondow with talents.
2. n. An ancient denomination of weight, originally Babylonian (though the name is Greek), and varying widely in value among different peoples and at different times. All the Assyrian weights had two values, the heavy being double the light, and there were also various types of each. The royal Babylonian commercial talent (or Assyrian talent) was divided into 60 minas, and each mina into 60 shekels. Its value (light weight) was in one type 29.63 kilograms (65 pounds 5 ounces avoirdupois), and in another 30.10 kilograms (66 pounds 5½ ounces). Derivatives of this talent (which was equivalent to 3,000 shekels) were in use in Syria and Palestine and in Phenician colonies. Its money value is reckoned as approximately from $1,700 to $2,000. The Babylonian gold talent contained only 50 minas, and was thus five sixths of the commercial weight. The Babylonian silver talent was formed by multiplying the commercial talent by 13⅓ (the ratio of silver to an equivalent mass of gold), and afterward dividing by 10. The resulting light talent was sometimes again divided by 2. Derivatives of this talent were in use in Persia, Lydia, Macedonia, and Italy. It is the basis of much of the most ancient silver coinage. The Phenician silver talent, probably derived from the Babylonian, was in its lighter types about 43.4 kilograms (95 pounds 9 ounces avoirdupois), and, being halved, was adopted into the Ptolemaic system. The chief Greek talents were as follows: Old Æginetan, 40.3 kilograms (88 pounds 12 ounces); emporetic Attic (substantially later Æginetan), 36.4 kilograms (80 pounds 4 ounces); Solonic (= Egyptian), 25.8 kilograms (56 pounds 14 ounces). Talents mentioned by Homer and some other of the oldest writers appear to be small weights, perhaps shekels. The later Attic talent contained 60 minas, or 6,000 Attic drachmas, equal to 56 pounds 14 ounces. As a denomination of silver money it was equal to about $1,000. The great talent of the Romans is computed to be equal to £99 6s. 8d. sterling, or about $480, and the little talent to £75 sterling, or about $363.
3. n. Money; wealth; property in general.
4. n. Hence, a wealth; an abundance (as in the phrase ‘a wealth of golden hair’); or, perhaps, gold (i. e. ‘golden tresses’).
5. n. A gift committed to one for use and improvement: so called in allusion to the parable of the talents (Mat. xxv.); hence, a peculiar faculty, endowment, or aptitude; a capacity for achievement or success.
6. n. Mental power of a superior order; superior intelligence; special aptitude; abilities; parts: often noting power or skill acquired by cultivation, and thus contrasted with genius. See genius, 5.
7. n. Hence, persons of ability collectively: as, all the talent of the country is enlisted in the cause.
8. n. A distinctive feature, quality, habit, or the like; a characteristic.
9. n. Disposition; inclination; will; desire.
10. n. Synonyms Abilities, Gifts, Parts, etc. See genius.
11. n. An obsolete or dialectal variant of talon.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minæ or 6,000 drachmæ. 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.
2. n. 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.
3. n. obsolete Inclination; will; disposition; desire.
4. n. 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).

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a person who possesses unusual innate ability in some field or activity
2. n. natural abilities or qualities