benevolence

See also: bénévolence

English

Etymology

Circa 1400, original sense “good will, disposition to do good”, Old French benivolence from Latin benevolentia (also directly from Latin), literally “good will”, from bene (“well, good”) + volentia, form of volēns, form of volō (“I wish”), components cognate to English benefit and voluntary, more distantly will (via Proto-Indo-European).[1]

Noun

benevolence (countable and uncountable, plural benevolences)

  1. (uncountable) Disposition to do good.
  2. (uncountable) Charitable kindness.
  3. (countable) An altruistic gift or act.
  4. (Britain, historical) A kind of forced loan or contribution levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV in 1473.
▼ <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_terms_derived_from_the_PIE_root_*welh%E2%82%81-' title='Category:English terms derived from the PIE root *welh₁-'>English terms derived from the PIE root *welh₁-</a>‎ (0 c, 10 e)
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/benevolence' title='benevolence'>benevolence</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/benevolent' title='benevolent'>benevolent</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/malevolence' title='malevolence'>malevolence</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/malevolent' title='malevolent'>malevolent</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/volition' title='volition'>volition</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/voluntary' title='voluntary'>voluntary</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/volunteer' title='volunteer'>volunteer</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/voluptuary' title='voluptuary'>voluptuary</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/voluptuous' title='voluptuous'>voluptuous</a>
  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/will' title='will'>will</a>

Translations

References
  1. “benevolence” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
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