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benefice

[ ben-uh-fis ]
/ ˈbɛn ə fɪs /
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noun
a position or post granted to an ecclesiastic that guarantees a fixed amount of property or income.
the revenue itself.
the equivalent of a fief in the early Middle Ages.
verb (used with object), ben·e·ficed, ben·e·fic·ing.
to invest with a benefice or ecclesiastical living.
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Origin of benefice

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

OTHER WORDS FROM benefice

non·ben·e·ficed, adjectiveun·ben·e·ficed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use benefice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for benefice

benefice
/ (ˈbɛnɪfɪs) /

noun
Christianity an endowed Church office yielding an income to its holder; a Church living
the property or revenue attached to such an office
(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 supportSee also vassalage
verb
(tr) to provide with a benefice

Word Origin for benefice

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
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