benefice

[ ben-uh-fis ]
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noun
  1. a position or post granted to an ecclesiastic that guarantees a fixed amount of property or income.

  2. the revenue itself.

  1. the equivalent of a fief in the early Middle Ages.

verb (used with object),ben·e·ficed, ben·e·fic·ing.
  1. to invest with a benefice or ecclesiastical living.

Origin of benefice

1
1300–50; Middle English <Middle French <Latin beneficium service, kindness (benefic(us) benefic + -ium-ium)

Other words from benefice

  • non·ben·e·ficed, adjective
  • un·ben·e·ficed, adjective

Words Nearby benefice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use benefice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for benefice

benefice

/ (ˈbɛnɪfɪs) /


noun
  1. Christianity an endowed Church office yielding an income to its holder; a Church living

  2. the property or revenue attached to such an office

  1. (in feudal society) a tenement (piece of land) held by a vassal from a landowner on easy terms or free, esp in return for military support: See also vassalage

verb
  1. (tr) to provide with a benefice

Origin of benefice

1
C14: from Old French, from Latin beneficium benefit, from beneficus, from bene well + facere to do

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012