IRS definition of gift: "Any transfer to an individual, either directly or indirectly, where full consideration (measured in money or money's worth) is not received in return."
Gifts result from "detached and disinterested generosity" and are often given out of "affection, respect, admiration, charity or like impulses" (Commissioner v. Duberstein). Contrast payments given as an "involved and intensely interested" act.
