gift of tongues

American  

noun

1. speaking in tongues.

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gift of tongues British  

noun

1. Also called: glossolalia. an utterance, partly or wholly unintelligible, believed by some to be produced under the influence of ecstatic religious emotion and conceived to be a manifestation of the Holy Ghost: practised in certain Christian churches, usually called Pentecostal

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Etymology

Origin of gift of tongues

First recorded in 1550–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gift of tongues

But displacement, division, forkedness—this is the curse and the gift of tongues that are born of speaking from a minority locale, interior yet expelled, at once observed and observing.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2015

Possessed of the gift of tongues, she sometimes interpreted Indian languages and even engaged in religious prophecy, which occasionally set her at odds with her Mormon elders.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2014

In the foreign field, however, Mr. Fox obviously faces a severe handicap unless he can endow his pictures not only with the gift of speech but with the gift of tongues as well.

From Time Magazine Archive

Another legend: Xavier's reputedly miraculous "gift of tongues."

From Time Magazine Archive

Dill had never manifested the gift of tongues.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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