gift

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

gift

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• yift (dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle English gift (also yift, yifte, ȝift, ȝeft), partly from Old English ġift (“giving, consideration, dowry, wedding”) and Old Norse gipt (“gift, present, wedding”); both from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (“gift”). Equivalent to give +‎ -th (etymologically yive + -th).

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”), Danish gift (“gift (obsolete); poison, venom”), Swedish gift (“gift, poison, venom”), Icelandic gift (“gift”). Doublet of yift.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪft

Noun

English Wikipedia has an article on:

gift (present)

Wikipedia

gift (plural gifts)

1. Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
   • 1965, Frank Herbert, Dune‎ (Science Fiction), New York: Ace Books, →OCLC, page 48‎:

     “I thank you for the gift, Dr. Yueh,” Paul said, speaking formally. “It will be our secret. If there is a gift or favor you wish from me, please do not hesitate to ask.”
     "I . . . need for nothing," Yueh said.

   • 2021 October 20, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 942, page 71:

     She bought the model as a surprise gift for a friend who is a lifelong HST fan and railwayman, and who will soon be celebrating a milestone birthday.

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:

     “ […] 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.

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: ギフト (gifuto)

Translations

See also

• lagniappe

Verb

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.

   • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 440:

     They drove on, every rise in the road lifting their sightline clear of the drystone dykes along the roadside, gifting glimpses of the firth and the islands, the blue peaks of Arran.

Synonyms

• contribute
• donate
• give

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• T.G.I.F., TGIF

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡift/,

Etymology 1

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

Noun

gift c (singular definite giften, plural indefinite gifte)

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)

Inflection

Derived terms

See also

• gift on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

gift

1. married

Inflection

Derived terms

• ugift

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

gift

1. imperative of gifte
2. past participle of gifte

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch gifte, from Old Dutch *gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz.

The words gif and vergif, both meaning “poison”, derive from the same source as gift. The sense “poison” may have originated as a shortening of vergift or may have been borrowed from German Gift.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɪft/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gift
• Rhymes: -ɪft

Noun

gift f (plural giften, diminutive giftje n)

1. donation; something given (away) voluntarily.

   Synonyms: cadeau, geschenk, schenking

Derived terms

• grafgift
• huwelijksgift

Noun

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

1. (dated) poison

   Synonyms: gif, venijn, vergif, vergift

Derived terms

• giftig

Descendants

• Afrikaans: gif

Adjective

gift (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) poisonous, toxic, venomous

   Synonym: giftig

Inflection

Related terms

• geven, gave
• vergiftigen, ontgiften, begiftigen

Faroese

Etymology

From German Gift.

Noun

gift f (genitive singular giftar, uncountable)

1. poison

Declension

Synonyms

• eitur

Adjective

gift

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

     Are you (f) married?

Declension

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse gipt, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /cɪft/
• Rhymes: -ɪft

Noun

gift f (genitive singular giftar, nominative plural giftir)

1. (obsolete) gift

   Synonym: gjöf

Declension

Related terms

• gifta

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

gift

Wikipedia ^no

Noun

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

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)

Derived terms

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

Related terms

• forgifte
• forgiftning
• giftig

Adjective

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

1. married

Antonyms

• ugift

Derived terms

• nygift

Verb

gift

1. imperative of gifte

References

• “gift” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɪft/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse gipt.

Noun

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

1. poison

Derived terms

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

Etymology 2

Past participle of gifta.

Adjective

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

1. married

Participle

gift (definite singular and plural gifte)

1. past participle of gifta and gifte

Alternative forms

• gifta

Verb

gift

1. imperative of gifta and gifte
2. supine of gifta and gifte

References

• “gift” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Alternative forms

• ġyft

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gifti, 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).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jift/

Noun

ġift f

1. marriage payment, dowry
2. (in the plural and in compounds) wedding, marriage
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost"

     Þāðā hí noldon cuman to ðam ġiftum, ða sende hé eft, þus cweðende, "Secgað ðam gelaðodum, Efne, ic ġeġearcode mīne gōd, ic ofslóh mine fearras, and mine gemæstan fugelas, and ealle mine ðing ic ġearcode: cumað to þam ġiftum."

     When they would not come to the marriage, he sent again, thus saying, "Say to those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my meats, I have slain my oxen and my fatted fowls, and have prepared all my things: come to the marriage."

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: yifte, ȝift, gift
  • English: gift, yift
  • Scots: gyft, gift
  • Yola: giftes (plural)

Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From German Gift (“poison”), from Middle High German gift f (“gift, present”), Old High German gift f (“gift”), from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz, which is a derivation of *gebaną (“to give”).

Noun

gift n

1. poison, venom, toxin (toxic substance)
   • 1968, Tove Jansson, Muminpappans memoarer, Holger Schildts Förlag, published 1991, →ISBN, 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!"

Declension

Derived terms

• giftorm (“venomous snake”)
• miljögift (“environmental toxin”)

Related terms

• giftig

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

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, published 1991, →ISBN, 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!"

Declension

Participle

gift

1. past participle of gifta

Verb

gift

1. inflection of gifta:
   1. imperative
   2. supine

References

• gift in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gift in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gift in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)