Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "talent" come from? It comes from Greek talanton, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "talent" come from? It comes from Greek talanton, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Talent’s story begins in Greek: talanton meant “balance, sum of money.” A Greek weight of silver. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as talent. The Parable of the Talents gave the sense of natural gift. It reached English by 1300s as talent. 'talent show' dates from the 1900s. Today, talent means natural aptitude.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient talanton "balance, sum of money", a Greek weight of silver.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval talent "inclination", the Parable of the Talents gave the sense of natural gift.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s talent "inclination; gift", 'talent show' dates from the 1900s.