gift

English Online Dictionary. What means gift‎? What does gift mean?

English

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/
• Rhymes: -ɪft

Noun

gift (plural gifts)

1. Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
2. A talent or natural ability.
3. Something gained incidentally, without effort.
4. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing.

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.

Synonyms

• contribute
• donate
• give

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• T.G.I.F., TGIF

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡift/, [ɡ̊ifd̥]

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. Equivalent to geven (“to give”) +‎ -t (“verbal noun”).

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/
• 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

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"

Declension

Descendants

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

Swedish

Pronunciation

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)

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

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)