boon
1 Americannoun
noun
-
something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit
the car was a boon to him
-
archaic a favour; request
he asked a boon of the king
adjective
-
close, special, or intimate (in the phrase boon companion )
-
archaic jolly or convivial
Other Word Forms
- boonless adjective
Etymology
Origin of boon1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bon(e) “praying, a prayer, favor asked for,” from Old Norse bōn “prayer, request, petition”; cognate with Old English bēn
Origin of boon2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bon(e), boun “good, goodly,” from Old French, from Latin bonus “good, expert”
Origin of boon3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (north) bun(n)e, bone “reed, stem, husk (of flax)”; compare Old English bune “reed; drinking cup”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Higher commodity prices have been a boon to the shares.
From Barron's
Higher commodity prices have been a boon to the shares.
From Barron's
That would be a boon to retailers who have had to pay higher costs to import products stateside.
From Barron's
That could increase the incentive to work with a real estate agent, who may have access to a trove of unadvertised listings, in a boon for brokerages.
From Barron's
One expected boon for the market this year is lower interest rates.
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.
