[syn: give, gift, present]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Gift \Gift\, n. [OE. gift, yift, yeft, AS. gift, fr. gifan to
give; akin to D. & G. gift, Icel. gift, gipt, Goth. gifts (in
comp.). See Give, v. t.]
1. Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one
person to another without compensation; a present; an
offering.
[1913 Webster]
Shall I receive by gift, what of my own, . . .
I can command ? --Milton.
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2. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing; as, the
office is in the gift of the President.
[1913 Webster]
3. A bribe; anything given to corrupt.
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Neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes
of the wise. --Deut. xvi.
19.
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4. Some exceptional inborn quality or characteristic; a
striking or special talent or aptitude; power; faculty;
as, the gift of wit; a gift for speaking.
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5. (Law) A voluntary transfer of real or personal property,
without any consideration. It can be perfected only by
deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual
delivery of possession. --Bouvier. --Burrill.
[1913 Webster]
Gift rope (Naut), a rope extended to a boat for towing it;
a guest rope.
Syn: Present; donation; grant; largess; benefaction; boon;
bounty; gratuity; endowment; talent; faculty.
Usage: Gift, Present, Donation. These words, as here
compared, denote something gratuitously imparted to
another out of one's property. A gift is something
given whether by a superior or an inferior, and is
usually designed for the relief or benefit of him who
receives it. A present is ordinarly from an equal or
inferior, and is always intended as a compliment or
expression of kindness. Donation is a word of more
dignity, denoting, properly, a gift of considerable
value, and ordinarly a gift made either to some public
institution, or to an individual on account of his
services to the public; as, a donation to a hospital,
a charitable society, or a minister.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Gift \Gift\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gifted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Gifting.]
To endow with some power or faculty. See gift[4].
[1913 Webster]
He was gifted . . . with philosophical sagacity. --I.
Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
gift
n 1: something acquired without compensation
2: natural abilities or qualities [syn: endowment, gift,
talent, natural endowment]
3: the act of giving [syn: giving, gift]
v 1: give qualities or abilities to [syn: endow, indue,
gift, empower, invest, endue]
2: give as a present; make a gift of; "What will you give her
for her birthday?" [syn: give, gift, present]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
197 Moby Thesaurus words for "gift":
Christmas present, ability, accomplishment, accord, acquirement,
acuity, acuteness, administer, adroitness, afford, allot, allow,
alms, an ear for, an eye for, aptitude, aptness, attainment, award,
baksheesh, benefaction, benefit, benevolence, bent, bestow,
bestow on, bestowal, birthday present, bonus, boon, bounty, box,
braininess, brightness, brilliance, bump, cadeau, caliber,
capability, capacity, capacity for, charity, chip in,
clear thinking, cleverness, communicate, compliment,
complimentariness, confer, contribute, contribute to, contribution,
costlessness, deal, deal out, dexterity, dish out, dispense, dole,
dole out, donate, donate to, donation, dower, dowry, endowment,
equipment, esprit, expenselessness, extend, facility, faculty,
fairing, favor, felicity, flair, fork out, forte, free ride,
freebie, freeness, genius, genius for, gift for, gift with,
giftedness, gifts, give, give freely, give out, give to, grant,
gratuitousness, gratuity, hand out, hand-out, handsel, head, heap,
help to, honorarium, impart, inclination, innate aptitude,
instinct, issue, keen-wittedness, keenness, kick in, knack,
labor of love, largess, largesse, lavish, leaning, legacy,
let have, long suit, makings, mental alertness, mercurial mind,
mete, mete out, metier, native cleverness, natural endowment,
natural gift, nimble mind, nimble-wittedness, nimbleness,
no charge, nose, nous, numen, oblation, offer, offering, parts,
peace offering, pledge, potential, pour, pourboire, power, powers,
premium, present, presentation, prize, proffer, propensity,
qualification, quick parts, quick thinking, quick wit,
quick-wittedness, quickness, rain, ready wit, remembrance, render,
reward, savvy, serve, set, sharp-wittedness, sharpness, shell out,
shower, slip, smartness, smarts, snow, souvenir, speciality,
specialty, sprightly wit, strength, strong flair, strong point,
subscribe, sweeten the kitty, talent, talents, tendency, tender,
the goods, the stuff, tip, token, tribute, turn, turn for,
vouchsafe, what it takes, white elephant, yield
V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (February 2016):
GIFT
GNU Image Finding Tool (GNU)
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Gift
(1.) An gratuity (Prov. 19:6) to secure favour (18:16; 21:14), a
thank-offering (Num. 18:11), or a dowry (Gen. 34:12).
(2.) An oblation or proppitatory gift (2Sa 8:2,6; 1Ch 18:2,6;
2Ch 26:8; Ps. 45:12; 72:10).
(3.) A bribe to a judge to obtain a favourable verdict (Ex.
23:8; Deut. 16:19).
(4.) Simply a thing given (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13; Eph. 4:8);
sacrifical (Matt. 5:23, 24; 8:4); eleemosynary (Luke 21:1); a
gratuity (John 4:10; Acts 8:20). In Acts 2:38 the generic word
dorea is rendered "gift." It differs from the charisma (1 Cor.
12:4) as denoting not miraculous powers but the working of a new
spirit in men, and that spirit from God.
The giving of presents entered largely into the affairs of
common life in the East. The nature of the presents was as
various as were the occasions: food (1 Sam. 9:7; 16:20), sheep
and cattle (Gen. 32:13-15), gold (2 Sam. 18:11), jewels (Gen.
24:53), furniture, and vessels for eating and drinking (2 Sam.
17:28); delicacies, as spices, honey, etc. (1 Kings 10:25; 2
Kings 5: 22). The mode of presentation was with as much parade
as possible: the presents were conveyed by the hands of servants
(Judg. 3:18), or still better, on the backs of beasts of burden
(2 Kings 8:9). The refusal of a present was regarded as a high
indignity; and this constituted the aggravated insult noticed in
Matt. 22:11, the marriage robe having been offered and refused.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):
GIFT, contracts. The act by which the owner of a thing, voluntarily
transfers the title and possession of the same, from himself to another
person who accepts it, without any consideration. It differs from a grant,
sale, or barter in this, that in each of these cases there must be a
consideration, and a gift, as the @definitionstates, must be without
consideration.
2. The manner of making the gift may be in writing, or verbally, and,
as far as personal chattels are concerned, they are equally binding. Perk.
Sec. 57; 2 Bl. Com. 441. But real estate must be transferred by deed.
3. There must be a transfer made with an intention of passing the
title, and delivering the possession of the thing given, and it must be
accepted by the donee. 1 Madd. Ch. R. 176, Am. ed. p. 104; sed vide 2 Barn.
& Ald. 551; Noy's Rep. 67.
4. The transfer must be without consideration, for if there be the
least consideration, it will change the contract into a sale or barter, if
possession be delivered; or if not, into an executory contract. 2 Bl. Com.
440.
5. Gifts are divided into gifts inter vivos, and gifts causa mortis;
and also' into simple or proper gifts; that is, such as are to take
immediate effect, without any condition; and qualified or improper gifts, or
such as derive their force upon the happening, of some condition or
contingency; as, for example, a donatio causa mortis. Vide Donatio causa
mortis; Gifts inter vivos; and Vin. Ab. h. t.; Com. Dig. Biens, D 2, and
Grant; Bac. Ab. Grant; 14 Vin. Ab. 19 3 M. & S. 7 5 Taunt. 212 1 Miles, R.
109.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):
GIFT, conveyancing. A voluntary conveyance; that is, a conveyance not
founded on the consideration of money or blood. The word denotes rather the
motive of the conveyance; so that a feoffment or grant may be called a gift
when gratuitous. A gift is of the same nature as a settlement; neither
denotes a form of assurance, but the nature of the transaction. Watk. Prin.
199, by Preston. The operative words of this conveyance are do or dedi. The
maker of this instrument is called the donor, and he to whom it is made, the
donee. 2 B. Com. 316 Litt. 69; Touchs. ch. 11.