gift

• yift (dialectal)

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.

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪft

gift (plural gifts)

1. Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
   • 1965, Frank Herbert, Dune‎^[1] (Science Fiction), New York: Ace Books, →OCLC, page 48‎^[2]:

     “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.

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

• → Japanese: ギフト (gifuto)

• lagniappe

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^[3]:

     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.

• contribute
• donate
• give

• T.G.I.F., TGIF

• IPA^(key): /ɡift/, [ɡ̊ifd̥]

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

gift c (singular definite giften, plural indefinite gifte)

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)
2. venom (poison carried by an animal)

• edder

• gift on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

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

gift

1. married

• ugift

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

gift

1. imperative of gifte
2. past participle of gifte

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.

• IPA^(key): /ɣɪft/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gift
• Rhymes: -ɪft

gift f (plural giften, diminutive giftje n)

1. donation; something given (away) voluntarily

   Synonyms: cadeau, geschenk, schenking

• grafgift
• huwelijksgift

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

1. (dated) poison

   Synonyms: gif, venijn, vergif, vergift

• giftig

• Afrikaans: gif

gift (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) poisonous, toxic, venomous

   Synonym: giftig

Declension of gift
uninflected	gift
inflected	gifte
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		gift
indefinite	m./f. sing.	gifte
	n. sing.	gift
	plural	gifte
definite		gifte
partitive		gifts

• geven, gave
• vergiftigen, ontgiften, begiftigen

From German Gift.

gift f (genitive singular giftar, uncountable)

1. poison

Declension of gift (singular only)
f2s	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	gift	giftin
accusative	gift	giftina
dative	gift	giftini
genitive	giftar	giftarinnar

• eitur

gift

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

     Are you (f) married?

Declension of gift (a5)
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	giftur	gift	gift
Accusative	giftan	gifta	gift
Dative	giftum	giftari	giftum
Genitive	gifts	giftar/ giftrar	gifts
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	giftir	giftar	gift
Accusative	giftar	giftar	gift
Dative	giftum	giftum	giftum
Genitive	gifta/ giftra	gifta/ giftra	gifta/ giftra

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

• IPA^(key): /cɪft/
• Rhymes: -ɪft

gift f (genitive singular giftar, nominative plural giftir)

1. (obsolete) gift

   Synonym: gjöf

• gifta

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

1. poison (substance harmful to a living organism)

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

• forgifte
• forgiftning
• giftig

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

1. married

• ugift

• nygift

gift

1. imperative of gifte

• “gift” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /jɪft/

From Old Norse gipt.

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

1. poison

• giftslange
• giftstoff
• rottegift

Past participle of gifta.

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

1. married

gift (definite singular and plural gifte)

1. past participle of gifta and gifte

• gifta

gift

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

• “gift” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• ġyft

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).

• IPA^(key): /jift/

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."

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

• Gotland:

  (file)

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”).

gift n

1. poison, venom, toxin (toxic substance)

   Hyponyms: etter, toxin

   • 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!"

• giftgrön (“green like poison”)
• giftkörtel (“venom gland”)
• giftorm (“venomous snake”)
• giftpil (“poison arrow”)
• miljögift (“environmental toxin”)

• förgifta
• förgiftning
• giftig

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

gift (not comparable)

1. married

   Synonym: äkta

   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!"

gift

1. past participle of gifta

gift

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

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