benignitas

Forms

benignitās f (genitive benignitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from benignus (“kind, generous”) with the suffix -tās.^[2][1][3] De Vaan lists ⟨benignus⟩ under both bonus (“good”) and gignō (“to beget”): it is formed from ⟨bene⟩ “well” and the root of ⟨gignō⟩, Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is Plautus' Poenulus, “such is your kindness”, and in the Truculentus it is a term of endearment, mea benignitās.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It is kindness, friendliness or benevolence, and generosity or bounty, as Cicero's “the generosity of the decemvirs”.^[2][5]

Church Latin glosses it “goodness, benignity, kindness”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of kindness.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of generosity.^[2][3]
• late 14th century – Borrowed into English, by way of Old French, as benignity.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. Kindness, friendliness, benevolence, (as an endearment) darling.^[2][1]
2. Generosity, bounty, liberality.^[2][1]

Related words

• benignē
• benigniter
• benignor
• benignus
• bonus
• malignitās
• līberālitās
• English benignity

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com