gift

From Middle English gift (also yift, yeft, ȝift, ȝeft), partly from Old English ġyft, ġieft, ġift (“giving, consideration, dowry, wedding”) and Old Norse gipt (“gift, present, wedding”); both from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (“gift”). Cognate with West Frisian jefte (“gift”), Saterland Frisian Gift (“gift”), German Low German Gift (“poison”), Dutch gift (“gift”) and its doublet gif (“poison”), German Gift (“poison”), Swedish gift (“gift, poison, venom”), Icelandic gift (“gift”).

• (US, UK) enPR: gĭft, IPA^(key): /ɡɪft/

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• Rhymes: -ɪft

gift (plural gifts)

1. Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
2. A talent or natural ability.

   She had a gift for playing the flute.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 639762314, page 0029:

     “[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

3. Something gained incidentally, without effort.
4. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing.

   The office is in the gift of the President.

• (something freely given by another): See Thesaurus:gift For beneficial actions, see favor.
• (something god-given): ability, aptitude, knack, talent, strength

• lagniappe

gift (third-person singular simple present gifts, present participle gifting, simple past and past participle gifted)

1. (transitive) To give as a gift or donation.
2. (transitive) To give away, to concede easily.
   • 2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1 - 1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Chelsea threw away two points when substitute Salomon Kalou gifted Valencia a penalty five minutes from time with a needless handball.

• contribute
• donate
• give

• T.G.I.F., TGIF

• IPA^(key): /ɡift/, [ɡ̊ifd̥]

From German Gift (“poison”). Similar to the archaic gift (“gift”), a verbal noun to give (“to give”).

gift c (singular definite giften, plural indefinite gifte)

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)

• gift on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Originally the past participle of gifte (“marry”).

gift

1. married

• ugift

See the etymology of the main entry.

gift

1. imperative of gifte
2. past participle of gifte

From Middle Dutch gifte, from Old Dutch *gift, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz. The words gif and vergif, both meaning "poison", derive from the same source as gift and were not formally distinguished until early modern Dutch.

• IPA^(key): /ɣɪft/

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• Hyphenation: gift
• Rhymes: -ɪft

gift f (plural giften, diminutive giftje n)

1. donation; something given (away) voluntarily.

   Synonyms: geschenk, cadeau

gift n or f (plural giften, diminutive giftje n)

1. (dated) poison

   Synonyms: gif, venijn, vergif, vergift

• giftig
• grafgift

• geven
• vergiftigen, ontgiften

gift f (genitive singular giftar, uncountable)

1. poison

• eitur

gift

1. married, female form of giftur
   • Ert tú gift?

     Are you (f) married?

gift f or m (definite singular gifta or giften, indefinite plural gifter, definite plural giftene)

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

• forgifte
• forgiftning
• giftig

gift (neuter singular gift, definite singular and plural gifte)

1. married

• ugift

• nygift

gift

1. imperative of gifte

• “gift” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /jɪft/

From Old Norse gipt.

gift f (definite singular gifta, indefinite plural gifter, definite plural giftene)

1. a poison

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

From past participle of gifta.

gift (indefinite singular gift, definite singular and plural gifte, comparative giftare, indefinite superlative giftast, definite superlative giftaste)

1. married

• “gift” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• ġyft

From Proto-Germanic *giftiz. Cognate with Old Frisian jeft, Old Saxon *gift (in sundargift (“privilege”, literally “special gift”)), Dutch gift, Old High German gift (German Gift), Old Norse gipt (> English gift), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍆𐍄𐍃 (fragifts).

• IPA^(key): /jift/

ġift f (nominative plural ġifta or ġiftu)

1. payment for a wife
2. (in the plural) a wedding

• Middle English: ȝift, ȝeft, gift (in part from Old Norse)
  • English: gift, yift

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From German Gift.

gift n

1. poison; venom; virus; toxin
   • 1968 Tove Jansson, Muminpappans memoarer, Holger Schildts Förlag (1991), ISBN 951-50-0388-1, page 126:

     Rådd-djuret gråter, sade Joxaren förebrående. Spöket har målat en dödskalle på kaffeburken och skrivit GIFT under och nu är Rådd-djuret utom sig och säger att har det inte gift sig förut så kommer det nu absolut aldrig att göra det!

     "The Muddler is crying," said the Joxter reproachfully. "The ghost has painted a skull and crossbones and the word POISON on the Muddler's coffee tin, and now the Muddler is beside himself and says that if it has not gotten married before it will absolutely never do it!"

From Old Norse gipta (“give away in marriage”), from Proto-Germanic *giftiz.

gift (not comparable)

1. married

   ett gift par

   a married couple

   Han är gift sedan tre år.

   He's been married for three years.

   • 1968 Tove Jansson, Muminpappans memoarer, Holger Schildts Förlag (1991), ISBN 951-50-0388-1, page 126:

     Rådd-djuret gråter, sade Joxaren förebrående. Spöket har målat en dödskalle på kaffeburken och skrivit GIFT under och nu är Rådd-djuret utom sig och säger att har det inte gift sig förut så kommer det nu absolut aldrig att göra det!

     "The Muddler is crying," said the Joxter reproachfully. "The ghost has painted a skull and crossbones and the word POISON on the Muddler's coffee tin, and now the Muddler is beside himself and says that if it has not gotten married before it will absolutely never do it!"

gift

1. imperative of gifta.
2. past participle of gifta.
3. supine of gifta.