Agency Dictionary
Talent
nounPronunciation: /ˈtæl.ənt/
In Portuguese: Talento
Creativity & LearningWhat does “Talent” mean?
Natural aptitude, exceptional skill, or superior innate capacity for a specific craft, artistic expression, intellectual inquiry, or physical performance.
Etymology
From Old English talente, borrowed from Latin talentum, from Greek talanton, "a balance, a weight, a sum of money". In the ancient world a talent was a large unit of weight and currency. The figurative sense of a natural aptitude or gift comes from the biblical Parable of the Talents, in which servants are entrusted with coins and judged by how well they use them. Old French talent, meaning inclination and desire, also helped shape the modern sense.
Usage note
In human resources, talent often means skilled people as a group (we are hiring talent). The older sense of a unit of money survives in biblical and historical contexts.
Synonyms
- gift
- aptitude
- flair
- knack
Word family
- talented
- talentless
Usage examples
Well, some of them came from noble backgrounds, some had patrons, and others had undeniable talent, there are even artists who are only recognized postmortem, can you imagine?
Concepts
- Artistic PatronageArtistic patronage is the financial, social, and institutional support bestowed by monarchs, popes, wealthy aristocrats, or modern corporate foundations upon artists…
- Computational CreativityComputational creativity is a subfield of artificial intelligence and cognitive science studying systems that exhibit behavior deemed creative by human observers. It…
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- vocationnoun
- A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
- Amalgamationnoun
- The process of combining or uniting multiple distinct elements, genres, or organizations into a single coherent body. In music, it describes fusion between traditions.
- Artisannoun
- A skilled craftsperson who manufactures tangible or digital goods with exceptional manual dexterity and care.
- artisanaladjective
- Relating to or produced by manual craftsmanship and skilled hands rather than automated mass manufacturing.
- Autodidacticadjective
- Relating to or characterized by self-directed instruction, independent learning, and mastery without formal mentors.
- Bachelornoun
- An undergraduate academic degree awarded by universities upon completion of a collegiate course of study.
- Brainstormingnoun
- A group creativity technique aimed at finding a conclusion or novel concept through spontaneous idea generation.
- concoctverb
- To invent, devise, or fabricate something novel by combining various elements or ideas.
- Conservatoirenoun
- A specialized academy or college devoted to the study and master instruction of music or other performing arts.
- Crystallizeverb
- To take definite, structured, or concrete shape after an initial period of ambiguity or fluidity.
- Cultivationnoun
- The act of preparing land, tending crops, or nurturing growth with patience and care. Figuratively, it describes the deliberate development of skills, habits, or relationships over time.
- Disciplinenoun
- The practice of training one's mind and habits to adhere to rules, duties, and self-restraint.
Also from these editions: terms
- Assistantnoun
- A person or computational software program that provides aid, support, or automated services to facilitate work and handle routine tasks.
- Databasenoun
- A structured, organized collection of digitized data stored electronically in a computer system and accessible through various retrieval and querying mechanisms.
- Failurenoun
- The state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, performance standard, or operational expectation.
- Fictionnoun
- Literature in the form of prose, especially novels and short stories, that describes imaginary events, characters, and scenarios not strictly based on historical facts.
- Generativeadjective
- Having the power, capability, or functional property of originating, producing, generating, or synthesizing new content, information, or biological life.
- Interviewnoun
- A structured conversation where one participant asks questions and the other provides answers, conducted for journalistic publication, academic research, or employment assessment.
- Ironynoun
- The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Also, a state of affairs that is contrary to what one expects.
- Patronnoun
- A person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity, especially in the arts, literature, and intellectual scholarship.
- Poemnoun
- A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits formal elements such as meter and rhyme.
- Prejudicenoun
- A preconceived opinion or unfavorable judgment that is not based on actual reason, knowledge, or direct experience, often directed against particular groups, ideas, or practices.
- Robotnoun
- A machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a complex series of physical actions or automated computational operations autonomously or semi-autonomously.
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