Where does “talented” come from?
Talented derives from Middle English -ed added to Old English talent, from Latin talentum, from Ancient Greek τάλαντον, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European telh₂- meaning to lift or carry.
talented (English): Endowed with one or more talents
Definitions
- Endowed with one or more talents
Ancestry of “talented”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | talent | A marked natural ability or skill; A unit of... |
| 2 | Middle English | talent | A talent ancient unit of money or weight |
| 3 | Old French | talent | desire; wish |
| 4 | Latin | talentum | A Grecian weight, which contained sixty minae or... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τάλαντον | balance, scale; anything weighed |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tl̥h₂ent- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | telh₂- | to bear, to undergo, to endure; ground, bottom |