beneficus Latin · revision 9875

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=Plautus|origins=la bene, la faciō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [bɛˈnɛ.fɪ.kʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [beˈnɛː.fi.kus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''beneficus''' (feminine benefica, neuter beneficum, comparative beneficentior); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+ Also spelled ''benificus''; the comparative and superlative are ''beneficentior'', ''beneficentissimus'', but Cato has ''beneficissimō''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is from [[bene]] “well” and ⟨-ficus⟩ “making”, from [[faciō]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(TLL) De Vaan traces ⟨bonus⟩ to [[itc-pro|*dweno-|t=good]], perhaps from [[ine-pro|*duh₂-eno-]]; ⟨bene⟩ is from its ablative ⟨*duenēd⟩.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, and the OLD cites Cato's speeches.^(Köbler 2010)^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant beneficent, kind, generous, obliging, disposed to do good, as in Cicero and Seneca.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant beneficent.^(Stelten 1995) British Medieval Latin used it for beneficial, beneficent, and Old English glossed it ''fremful''.^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato uses ''beneficissimus''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|beneficent|alt=Beneficent]], kind, generous.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[beneficium]]

+ * [[beneficentia]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bene]]

+ * [[faciō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}