bounty

[ boun-tee ]

noun

, plural boun·ties.

1. a premium or reward, especially one offered by a government:

   There was a bounty on his head. Some states offer a bounty for dead coyotes.

2. a generous gift.

   Synonyms: benefaction, present

3. generosity in giving.

   Synonyms: beneficence, charity, liberality, munificence

bounty

¹

/ ˈbaʊntɪ /

noun

1. generosity in giving to others; liberality
2. a generous gift; something freely provided
3. a payment made by a government, as, formerly, to a sailor on enlisting or to a soldier after a campaign
4. any reward or premium

   a bounty of 20p for every rat killed

Bounty

²

/ ˈbaʊntɪ /

noun

1. a British naval ship commanded by Captain William Bligh, which was on a scientific voyage in 1789 between Tahiti and the West Indies when her crew mutinied

Other Words From

• bounty·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bounty¹

1200–50; Middle English b ( o ) unte < Anglo-French, Old French bonte, Old French bontet < Latin bonitāt- (stem of bonitās ) goodness. See boon ², -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of bounty¹

C13 (in the sense: goodness): from Old French bontet , from Latin bonitās goodness, from bonus good

Synonym Study

See bonus.

Example Sentences

Rural churches were deserted, and the connection between the land and the bounty of harvests was gone.

From The Daily Beast

A bounty hunter told AFP that the suspected Texan could very well be Everett Livvix of Robinson, Illinois.

From The Daily Beast

The state of Idaho paid a bounty hunter to kill wolves in the Salmon River country.

From The Daily Beast

ISIS also had made use of its bounty of captured American equipment.

From The Daily Beast

Lobbyists use these trips to lavish bounty on Congressmen, far from prying eyes.

From The Daily Beast

Instinct had prompted her to put away her husband's bounty in casting off her allegiance.

From Project Gutenberg

I feel most grateful to you for your kindness, for your generous sympathy in my sorrow, but I cannot accept your bounty.

From Project Gutenberg

The good folk do not accept the bounty of their Queen without making her a return for it in kind.

From Project Gutenberg

This fair one was attended by Bounty, Beauty, and all the rest; they are called a folk in l. 48.

From Project Gutenberg

A testator may bequeath property to a trustee who shall select the objects of the testator's bounty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• donation
• gift
• largess
• premium
• prize
• reward