gift

¹

[ gift ]

noun

1. something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

   Synonyms: dowry, inheritance, legacy, bequest, subsidy, allowance, premium, tip, gratuity, alms, largesse, boon, bounty, endowment, benefaction, offering, contribution, donation

2. the act of giving.
3. something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient 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.

   Synonyms: knack, turn, genius, forte, bent, capability, aptitude, faculty

verb (used with object)

1. to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
2. to present (someone) with a gift:

   just the thing to gift the newlyweds.

GIFT

²

[ gift ]

noun

1. gamete intrafallopian transfer: a laparoscopic process in which eggs are retrieved from an ovary by aspiration and inserted, along with sperm, into the fallopian tube of another woman.

GIFT

¹

/ ɡɪft /

acronym for

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

gift

²

/ 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. look a gift-horse in the mouth
   usually negative to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit

verb

1. to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
2. often foll by with to present (someone) with a gift
3. rare.
   to endow with; bestow

Derived Forms

• ˈgiftless, adjective

Other Words From

• giftless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gift¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give

Word History and Origins

Origin of gift¹

Old English gift payment for a wife, dowry; related to Old Norse gipt, Old High German gift, Gothic fragifts endowment, engagement; see give

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with gift , also see look a gift horse in the mouth .

Synonym Study

See present ².

Example Sentences

Sir Arthur received the gift from Mr Astor's wife at a lunch at the family's mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, according to the auction house.

From BBC

"Behind that seemingly effortless talent to joke, there was a gifted performer and an extremely deep thinker," Harris said in a statement.

From BBC

On the back seat was a pigeon which he tried to gift Tyson - known to keep racing pigeons at his home - during fight week.

From BBC

It’s a gift to hear her voice again, in such fine form and for such an excellent cause.

From New York Times

Music, like McGraw’s “Reading This,” is one of life’s gifts that can remind us of that.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• allowance
• award
• benefit
• bonus
• contribution
• donation
• endowment
• favor
• giveaway
• grant
• legacy
• offering
• premium
• present
• relief
• reward
• souvenir
• subsidy
• tip
• tribute