Talk , n.
1. The act
of talking; especially, familiar converse; mutual discourse; that which is uttered, especially in familiar conversation,
or the mutual converse of two or more.
In various talk the instructive hours they passed.
Pope. Their talk, when it was not made up of nautical phrases, was too commonly made up of oaths and
curses.
Macaulay. 2. Report; rumor; as, to hear
talk of war.
I hear a talk up and
down of raising our money.
Locke.
3. Subject of discourse; as, his achievment is the talk of the
town.
Syn.
-- Conversation; colloquy; discourse; chat; dialogue; conference; communication. See Conversation.
Talk , v. t. 1. To
speak freely; to use for
conversing or communicating; as, to talk French.
2. To deliver in
talking; to speak; to utter; to make a subject of conversation; as, to talk nonsense; to talk politics.
3. To consume or spend in talking; -- often followed by away; as, to talk away an evening.
4. To cause to be or become by
talking. "They would talk themselves mad."
Shak.
To talk over. (a) To talk about; to have conference respecting; to deliberate upon; to discuss; as, to talk
over a matter or plan. (b) To change the
mind or opinion of by
talking; to convince; as, to talk over an opponent.
Talk (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Talked (?);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Talking.]
[Cf. LG. talk talk, gabble, Prov. G. talken to speak indistinctly; or OD. tolken to interpret, MHG. tolkan to interpret, to tell, to speak indistinctly, Dan. tolke to interpret, Sw. tolka, Icel. t&?;lka to interpret, t&?;lkr an interpreter, Lith. tulkas an interpreter, tulkanti,
tulkōti, to interpret, Russ.
tolkovate to interpret, to talk about; or perhaps fr. OE. talien
to speak (see Tale, v. i. & n.).] 1. To utter words; esp., to converse familiarly; to speak, as in familiar discourse, when two or more persons interchange
thoughts.
I will buy with
you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and
so following, but I will not eat with
you.
Shak.
2. To confer; to reason; to consult.
Let me talk with thee of thy
judgments.
Jer. xii. 1. 3.
To prate; to speak impertinently. [Colloq.]
To talk of,
to relate; to tell; to give an account of; as, authors talk of the wonderful remains of Palmyra. "The natural histories of Switzerland
talk much of the fall
of these rocks, and the great
damage done." Addison.
-- To talk to, to advise or exhort, or to
reprove gently; as, I will talk to my
son respecting his conduct. [Colloq.]
Hear it pronounced