English → Latin
“talent” in Latin
talentumtalent (a Greek weight, which contained sixty minae or half a hundredweight); talent (a sum of money); usually the Atticindolēsinnate or inborn quality; nature; natural ability; talentnātūrathe nature, quality, substance or essence of a thing; character, temperament, inclination, disposition; nature, the natuingeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character; nature; disposition, temper, inclination; intelligence, natural capacityvirtūsmanhood, manliness, virility; courage, valor, resoluteness, gallantry; virtue, goodnessfacultāsability to do any thing easily, skill, capacity, power; means, resources; opportunity, chance
The English word talent itself goes back to Latin talentum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
talent
A certain weight or sum of money, talentum.
Ability, indoles: natura: ingenium: naturae habitus (natural, innate talent): virtus (acquired by effort and practice; opposed to ingenium): facultas, ingenii facultas (ability). Talents, ingenium; (of several), ingenia: indoles (sing.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) natura atque ingenium: (☞ ingenii dexteritas, or simply dexteritas, not = “cleverness, adroitness,” in general; but “tact, address,” skill in the art of pleasing). A man of talent, ingeniosus: a man of great talent, peringeniosus: oratorical talent, facultas dicendi: ingenium oratorium: virtus oratoria: a talent for writing, ingenium et virtus in scribendo: lo have but little talent, non maximi esse ingenii; for anything, ad alicujus rei intelligentiam minus instrumenti a natura habere: good talents, ingenii bonitas: magnae facultates ingenii: good natural talents, naturae bonitas: naturale quoddam bonum: to possess good talents, bona indole praeditum esse: ingenio valere or abundare: to possess great, remarkable talents, praestantissimo ingenio praeditum esse: excellentis ingenii magnitudine ornatum esse: to possess moderate talents, mediocri ingenio esse. TALENTED (in bad English; e.g., a talented man, for “a man of talents”), ingeniosus: peringeniosus: eximii ingenii: magno ingenio praeditus.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for talent?
- The usual Latin words for “talent” are talentum, indolēs, nātūra; also ingenium, virtūs, facultās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.