beneficence
American
[buh-nef-uh-suhns]
/ bəˈnɛf ə səns /
noun
-
the doing of good; active goodness or kindness; charity.
-
a beneficent act or gift; benefaction.
Other Word Forms
- nonbeneficence noun
Etymology
Origin of beneficence
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; French bénéficence, from Latin beneficentia; benefic, -ence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.