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beneplacitum

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word beneplacitum

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
after 220 AD, Itala
Ultimate origin
Latin beneplaceō

Forms

beneplacitum n (genitive beneplacitī); second declension[1][2]

Etymology

It is the neuter, used as a noun, of beneplacitus (“well-pleasing”),[3] the participle of beneplaceō (“to please well”),[4] a compound of bene (“well”) and placeō (“to please”).[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in the Itala, the Old Latin Bible: one manuscript of the Letter to the Romans has beneplacitum vel voluntās meī cordis, “the good pleasure or will of my heart”.[3][4] The Latin Irenaeus often uses it of the good pleasure of God.[3]

Semantic evolution

The Vulgate made it a word of the Bible: the Psalms speak of a tempus beneplacitī, a time of favour, and the Letter to the Ephesians of God's purpose secundum beneplacitum eius, “according to his good pleasure”.[3][4] Jerome and Augustine use it as well.[1][3] Ecclesiastical Latin used it for approval, favour and good will.[2]

In medieval charters it meant consent and permission,[5][6] and also a wish or a decision;[5][7] ad beneplacitum and in beneplacitō aliquius esse expressed that something lay at someone's discretion.[6] Köbler also records a medieval sense “court assembly”.[4] Italian beneplacito corresponds to it.[8]

Timeline

  • after 220 AD – The Itala uses it in the Letter to the Romans.[3][4]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it in the Psalms and Ephesians.[3][4]
  • 822 – It appears in the Regensburg book of donations.[4]
  • 1323 – A charter of the hospital of Saint-Jacques in Paris uses it for a decree.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin) Good pleasure, will, favour, especially of God.[3][2][1]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin, Medieval Latin) Approval, consent, permission.[2][5][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A wish; a decision, decree.[5][7][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A court assembly.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  2. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  6. ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  7. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
  8. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
Cite this entry

“Beneplacitum.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/beneplacitum. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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