benefit
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbɛn.ɪ.fɪt/
enpr: bĕn'əfĭt
ipa: /ˈbɛn.ə.fɪt/
note: Indic
ipa: /bĕn.ĕf.ɪʈ/
Forms: form: benefits
form: benefite
Etymology: From Late Middle English benefytt, benefett, alteration (due to Latin bene-) of benfet, bienfet, bienfait (“good or noble deed”), from Anglo-Norman benfet (“well-done”), Middle French bienfait, from Old French bienfet, bienfait (“foredeal, favour”), from past participle of bienfaire (“to do good, do well”), from bien (“well”) + faire (“to do”), modelled after Latin benefactum (“good deed”). More at benefactor.
Senses: examples: text: She can't read, so the voice recording was made for her benefit.
text: Exposure to cutting-edge technologies is one of the benefits of the job.
text: When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
text: For the trip over the grass-covered sleepers and between the cow-parsley and briars, an open wagon was added to the usual combination of locomotive and coach, for the benefit of those who wanted to take photographs.
ref: 1954 April, A. R. G. Hawkins, “The Easingwold Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
glosses: An advantage; help or aid from something.
topics: business
insurance
glosses: A payment made in accordance with an insurance policy or a public assistance scheme.
examples: text: Gore Vidal […] will be sharing his wit and wisdom at the Arlington Street Church on Wednesday, April 5th at 7:00. The appearance is a benefit for the Boston/Boise Committee and the tickets are priced at $5.
ref: 1978 April 8, Eric Rogers, “People, Places and Flings”, in Gay Community News, page 13:
glosses: An event, such as a theatrical performance, given to raise funds for some cause.
examples: text: The Birds, that liue i'th field / On the vvilde Benefit of nature, liue / Happier then vve; for they may chooſe their Mates, / And carroll their ſvveet pleaſures to the Spring: […]
ref: 1612–1613 (date written), John Webster, The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy. […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, for Iohn Waterson, […], published 1623, →OCLC, Act III, scene v, signature [H3], recto:
glosses: beneficence; liberality
examples: text: The whole scene was staged for his benefit, and it completely fooled him.
text: Since my wife is Canadian, whenever we have dinner with my family, they keep bringing up anything they've heard about Canada lately for her benefit.
text: So, if Obodzinski is correct in saying that Mrs. Piela actually signed a document in the coffee shop, in front of witnesses, she staged a scene, pretending that it was the alleged Mandate. The other explanation is that none of this ever took place, and the staging was only a fictitious creation for the benefit of the Court.
ref: 2020 April 16, Gary D.D. Morrison, J.S.C., “Succession de Kalimbet Piela c. Obodzinski, 2020 QCCS 1222”, in CanLII, retrieved 09 May 2021:
glosses: Intended audience (as for the benefit of).
Synonyms: sense: advantage, help
word: foredeal
sense: advantage, help
word: advantage
sense: advantage, help
word: aid
sense: advantage, help
word: assistance
sense: advantage, help
word: boon
sense: advantage, help
word: help
sense: payment
word: subsidy
Derived terms: word: beneficial
word: benefit cliff
word: benefiter
word: benefitless
english: a misspelling
translation: a misspelling
word: benifit
word: co-benefit
Related terms: lagniappe