boon

¹

[boon]

noun

1. something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit.

2. something that is asked; a favor sought.

boon

²

[boon]

adjective

1. (of a person) jolly; jovial; convivial.

   boon companions.

2. Archaic.,  kindly; gracious; bounteous.

boon

³

[boon]

noun

Textiles.

1. the ligneous waste product obtained by braking and scutching flax.

boon

¹

/ buːn /

noun

1. something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit

   the car was a boon to him

2. archaic,  a favour; request

   he asked a boon of the king

boon

²

/ buːn /

adjective

1. close, special, or intimate (in the phrase boon companion )

2. archaic,  jolly or convivial

Other Word Forms

• boonless adjective

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of boon¹

C12: from Old Norse bōn request; related to Old English bēn prayer

Origin of boon²

C14: from Old French bon from Latin bonus good

Example Sentences

The tendency among observers is to view control over so much capital as a boon, an impression Communist Party officials seem keen to encourage.

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And robots — which don’t call in sick, take bathroom breaks, take vacations or need healthcare — are a huge boon to employers.

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The exports could be a boon for tech companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.com, which also need export licenses approved and have been waiting for months for clearance from the Commerce Department.

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She paused to think of a name that was both descriptive and had an easy-to-pronounce acronym, always a great boon to any endeavor.

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So far, AI has been a boon to Alphabet’s cloud business, which is another element of the Google story that excites Sanderson.

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Related Words

• blessing 
• godsend 
• windfall