beneficiu

Forms

beneficiu n (plural beneficii)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French bénéfice, and DEX, MDA2 and DILF name borrowed from New Latin beneficium (“benefit, favour”) as a second source.^[2][3][4] DELR adds borrowed from Italian beneficio to the possible sources, and the DN cites French and Italian beside the Latin.^[5][6] Wiktionary has French alone, the DA and Tiktin Latin alone.^[1][7][8] The oldest form, ending in ⟨-ium⟩, keeps the Latin ending.^[5]

The Latin word is formed on beneficus (“beneficent”) with the suffix -ium;^[9][1] The adjective is bene (“well”) with -ficus, from faciō (“to do”).^[5][1] In Medieval Latin it also meant a grant made to a vassal and the right to the income of a property.^[5] The French word is borrowed from it and recorded from 1198.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is benefițium in a decree of 1787 (Decret or. bis.), where the derivative benefițiat “holder of a benefice” also appears.^[5] Tiktin dates beneficiu to 1813, and MDA2 to the Civil Code edited by Hamangiu in 1897.^[8][3]

Semantic evolution

Negulici's dictionary of 1848, with the forms benefiçiu and benefiț, explains it as a privilege granted by a prince or by law, and as profit.^[11] Costinescu in 1870 also gives an ecclesiastical office that brings an income, the French bénéfice.^[12] Laurian and Massim treated it as a moral term, a good deed done of one's own will.^[13]

The law kept beneficiu de inventar, the heir's right to accept an inheritance and pay its debts only up to what it holds;^[7][3] Hamangiu's edition of the Civil Code (1897) has the phrase.^[7][3] Figuratively, sub beneficiu de inventar means provisionally, subject to later checking.^[2] Tiktin records a theatre performance given for the benefit of an actor or of the poor.^[8] In economics it is the net profit of a company, the difference between its income and its costs.^[2][14]

Timeline

• 1787 – benefițium and benefițiat in a decree.^[5]
• 1813 – beneficiu, Tiktin's first record.^[8]
• 1840 – the derivatives beneficia, beneficial and beneficiar in Poenaru, Aaron and Hill's dictionary.^[5]
• 1848 – benefiçiu, benefiț “privilege; profit” in Negulici.^[11]
• 1862 – “benefit, profit” in Pontbriant's dictionary.^[15]
• 1897 – beneficiu de inventar in Hamangiu's edition of the Civil Code.^[3][7]
• 1943 – benefic “beneficent”, a separate loan from French bénéfique.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. profit, gain or advantage that someone draws from something: Proiectul a adus beneficii întregului sat. “The project brought benefits to the whole village.”^[2][3][1]
2. (economics) The net profit of a company, the difference between its income and its costs.^[2][14][3]
3. (law) beneficiu de inventar: the heir's right to accept an inheritance and pay its debts only up to its assets;^[2][6] sub beneficiu de inventar “provisionally, subject to later checking”.^[2][6]
4. (history) A grant of land made by a lord to a vassal in return for military service; an ecclesiastical office with an income, a benefice.^[6][5]

Word family

• beneficia
• beneficial
• beneficiar

Related words

• Latin beneficium

Usage notes

În beneficiul cuiva means “for someone's benefit, in their favour”.^[5][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 99
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 196
4. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. beneficiu
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. beneficiu
6. ^ a b c d Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. beneficiu
7. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1913–1949), Dicționarul limbii române (DA), ed. Sextil Pușcariu, tom I (A–B, C, D–De) and tom II (F–I, J–Lojniță), București: Socec / Universul / Monitorul Oficial și Imprimeriile Statului; page scans at cflr-scans.solirom.ro, p. s.v. beneficiu
8. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. beneficiu
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. beneficium
10. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. bénéfice
11. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. beneficiu
12. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 108
13. ^ Laurian, A. T.; Massim, I. C. (1871–1876), Dictionariulu limbei romane, 2 vols., Bucuresci: Noua Typographia a Laboratoriloru Romani, p. s.v. beneficiu
14. ^ a b Dima, Eugenia (coord.) (2007), Dicționar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române, Chișinău: Arc / Gunivas, p. s.v. beneficiu
15. ^ Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 71
16. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. beneficiu