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beneficiary

[ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, -fish-uh-ree]
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noun, plural ben·e·fi·ci·ar·ies.

a person or group that receives benefits, profits, or advantages.
a person designated as the recipient of funds or other property under a will, trust, insurance policy, etc.
Ecclesiastical. the holder of a benefice.

RELATED WORDS

heir, recipient, possessor, receiver, successor, payee, inheritor, devisee, grantee, donee, assignee, stipendiary, legatee, heiress

Nearby words

  1. benefice,
  2. beneficence,
  3. beneficent,
  4. beneficial,
  5. beneficially,
  6. beneficiate,
  7. benefit,
  8. benefit in kind,
  9. benefit of clergy,
  10. benefit of the doubt

Origin of beneficiary

1605–15; < Latin beneficiārius, equivalent to benefici(um) benefice + -ārius -ary
Related formspre·ben·e·fi·ci·ar·y, noun, plural pre·ben·e·fi·ci·ar·ies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beneficiary

British Dictionary definitions for beneficiary

beneficiary

noun plural -ciaries

a person who gains or benefits in some way from something
law a person entitled to receive funds or other property under a trust, will, or insurance policy
the holder of an ecclesiastical or other benefice
NZ a person who receives government assistancesocial security beneficiary

adjective

of or relating to a benefice or the holder of a benefice
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
Word Origin and History for beneficiary

beneficiary

1610s (n.), 1620s (adj.), probably via French bénéficiaire, from Latin beneficiarius "enjoying a favor, privileged," from beneficium (see benefice).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for beneficiary

beneficiary

[(ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, ben-uh-fish-uh-ree)]

The recipient of funds, property, or other benefits from an insurance policy, will, trust, or other settlement.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.