Talents

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtælənts/

Definitions

1. A set of inherent abilities or skills that facilitate effective performance in various tasks
2. Unique skills or natural gifts that empower a person to succeed in diverse endeavors
3. Innate qualities that enable an individual to perform tasks well, often requiring little training

Etymology: The most surprising step in this word's history is that its modern sense owes almost everything to a parable. "Talent" began as the name of a unit of weight. In ancient Greece a "tálanton" was a balance or a weight, most often used for gold and silver, and by extension a sum of money equal to that weight. Latin borrowed it as "talentum," and it reached English through Old English as a term for a sum of money. The leap to ability came from the New Testament. In the Parable of the Talents, a master entrusts his servants with sums of money, and the servant who multiplies his share is rewarded while the one who buries his is condemned. Readers came to treat the money as a metaphor for God-given gifts, and the Old French "talent," meaning inclination or desire, carried that figurative sense into English. The plural "talents" inherits the same story: a word for a heavy weight of gold became a word for the gifts a person is born with.

Synonyms: skills, abilities, aptitudes

Antonyms: incompetence, ineptitude