<B>benefice, </B>noun, verb, <B>-ficed,</B> <B>-ficing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>a permanent office or position in the church, consisting of a sacred duty and the income that goes with it; a living. <DD><B> b. </B>the income or endowment. <DD><B> 2. </B>land granted in feudal tenure; fief. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to invest with a benefice. </DL>
<A NAME="beneficence">
<B>beneficence, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the practice of doing good; kindness. <DD><B> 2. </B>a kindly act; gift. </DL>
<B>beneficial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>producing good; favorable; helpful. <BR> <I>Ex. Sunshine is beneficial to plants.</I> (SYN) advantageous, serviceable, profitable. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) having or conferring the right to the use or benefit, as of property. adv. <B>beneficially.</B> noun <B>beneficialness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="beneficiary">
<B>beneficiary, </B>noun, pl. <B>-aries,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>any person or thing that receives benefit. <BR> <I>Ex. All the children of the neighborhood are beneficiaries of the new playground.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>a person who receives (or is named to receive) money or property from an insurance policy, a will, or the like. <DD><B> b. </B>a person for whose benefit a trust exists. <DD><B> 3. </B>a person possessed of a benefice or church living. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>having to do with the holding of land by feudal tenure; feudatory. <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with the holding of an ecclesiastical benefice. </DL>
<A NAME="beneficiate">
<B>beneficiate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to remove impurities from (an ore) and prepare for smelting or other processes; refine. noun <B>beneficiation.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="benefit">
<B>benefit, </B>noun, verb, <B>-fited,</B> <B>-fiting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>anything which is for the good of a person or thing; advantage. <BR> <I>Ex. Good roads are of great benefit to travelers. World peace would be of great benefit to mankind.</I> (SYN) profit, help, good. <DD><B> 2. </B>money paid to a sick or disabled person by an insurance company, government agency, or the like. <DD><B> 3. </B>a performance at the theater, a game, or other public attraction, to raise money for a worthy cause. <BR> <I>Ex. Last Saturday evening, at the Second Avenue Theatre, the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance staged its annual benefit for aged, infirm, and indigent members (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Archaic.) a kind deed; act of kindness; favor; gift. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Rare.) financial profit; gain. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to do good to; be good for. <BR> <I>Ex. Restwill benefit a sick person.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to receive good; get advantage; profit. <BR> <I>Ex. He benefited from the medicine. His grades would benefit from more study.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>benefit of the doubt,</B> </I>a favorable judgment when proof of blame or guilt is inconclusive. <BR> <I>Ex. Give him the benefit of the doubt, at least until all the evidence is in.</I> noun <B>benefiter.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="benefitofclergy">
<B>benefit of clergy,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(formerly) the privilege of being tried in church courts instead of secular courts. <DD><B> 2. </B>the services and rites or approval of the church. </DL>
<A NAME="benefitsociety">
<B>benefit society</B> or <B>association,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an association which administers a fund to which subscribing members make small, regular payments and from which monetary assistance is made available in times of illness, old age, or other need. </DL>
<A NAME="benelux">
<B>Benelux, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, that was organized in 1948 and is now part of the European Common Market. </DL>
<A NAME="benempt">
<B>benempt, </B>verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) <DD><I>verb </I> benamed; a past tense and a past participle of <B>bename.</B> <DD><I>adj. </I> named. </DL>
<A NAME="benet">
<B>benet, </B>transitive verb, <B>-netted,</B> <B>-netting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to enclose in or as if in a net; ensnare. </DL>
<B>benevolence, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>desire to promote the happiness of others; good will; kindly feeling. <BR> <I>Ex. The judge's benevolence was the wonder and relief of many a frightened offender.</I> (SYN) kindness, generosity. <DD><B> 2. </B>an act of kindness; something good that is done; generous gift. <BR> <I>Ex. The wealthy merchant gave a large benevolence to the local hospital.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(formerly) a forced loan to an English king. It is now illegal. </DL>
<A NAME="benevolent">
<B>benevolent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having the desire to promote the happiness of others; intended to do good; kindly; charitable. <BR> <I>Ex. Giving money to help the Red Cross is a benevolent act.</I> (SYN) generous, bountiful, philanthropic. adv. <B>benevolently.</B> </DL>
<B>Bengal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or from Bengal. <BR> <I>Ex. a Bengal tiger.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bengalese">
<B>Bengalese, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lese,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of Bengal. <DD><I>adj. </I> of Bengal, its people, or their language. </DL>
<A NAME="bengalfire">
<B>Bengal fire,</B> <B>=Bengal light.</B></DL>
<A NAME="bengali">
<B>Bengali, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-lis</B> (for 1, no pl. for 2.)<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of Bengal, its people, or their language. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a native of Bengal. <DD><B> 2. </B>the Indic language of Bengal, a modern Indo-European language. </DL>
<A NAME="bengaline">
<B>bengaline, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a corded cloth of silk, rayon, or cotton mixed with worsted, similar to poplin. </DL>
<A NAME="bengallight">
<B>Bengal light,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of firework producing a steady, vivid, blue-colored light, used in theatricals and for signals; Bengal fire. </DL>
<A NAME="benight">
<B>benight, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to involve in intellectual or moral darkness. <BR> <I>Ex. The Aristotelian astronomy benighted science almost completely for 1,800 years (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to overtake by the darkness of night. <BR> <I>Ex. The tourists were benighted in a forest (Thomas De Quincey).</I> noun <B>benightment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="benighted">
<B>benighted, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>not knowing right from wrong; ignorant; unenlightened. <DD><B> 2. </B>overtaken by darkness. adv. <B>benightedly.</B> noun <B>benightedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="benign">
<B>benign, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having a kind disposition; gracious. <BR> <I>Ex. The benign old lady had a warm smile.</I> (SYN) benevolent. <DD><B> 2. </B>showing or indicating kindly feeling; gentle. <BR> <I>Ex. a benign countenance.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>not dangerous to health; not malignant. <BR> <I>Ex. A benign swelling or tumor can usually be cured.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>mild. <BR> <I>Ex. Hawaii has a benign climate.</I> (SYN) salutary. <DD><B> b. </B>favorable; propitious. <BR> <I>Ex. the benign influence of the planets.</I> adv. <B>benignly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="benignancy">
<B>benignancy, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> benignant quality or manner. </DL>
<A NAME="benignant">
<B>benignant, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having or showing a kindly feeling toward others; benevolent. <BR> <I>Ex. The benignant king tried to gain the good will of his subjects.</I> (SYN) gracious. <DD><B> 2. </B>having a good effect; beneficial. (SYN) favorable. <DD><B> 3. </B>(of tumors and other growths) benign; not malignant. adv. <B>benignantly.</B> </DL>
<B>benison, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a blessing; benediction. <BR> <I>Ex. Under the benison of frequent rain ... hedgerows spring as sportively as ever they did a century ago (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<B>Benjamin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the youngest and, next to Joseph, favorite son of Jacob (in the Bible, Genesis 42:4 and 44:20). <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the twelve tribes of Israel. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) any youngest and dearly loved child. <DD><B> 4. </B>(U.S.) <B>=benjamin tree.</B> </DL>
<B>benjamin tree,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the tree from which benzoin is obtained, a native of Sumatra, Borneo, etc. <DD><B> 2. </B>a North American shrub which has an aromatic, stimulant, tonic bark, and berries yielding an oil of similar properties; the spicebush. </DL>
<B>benne, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the plant sesame. Its seeds are used in cooking and yield an oil used in soap manufacture and cooking. </DL>
<A NAME="bennet">
<B>bennet, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any plant of the species of avens. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=herb bennet.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bennington">
<B>Bennington, </B>noun, or <B>Bennington ware,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an American earthenware with a lustrous brown glaze applied in mottled or streaked patterns, made in Bennington, Vermont. </DL>
<A NAME="bennism">
<B>Bennism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) the policy of extending state ownership and intervention in private industry. <BR> <I>Ex. Desperate problems beset Labour ... the problem of Bennism, petrified industry (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="benny">
<B>benny, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(U.S. Slang.) a Benzedrine pill (amphetamine sulfate). <BR> <I>Ex. Traffic authorities ... agree that this [traffic death] is a likely result when drivers dose themselves with bennies to stay awake (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Slang.) a derby hat. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang.) a particular type of overcoat. </DL>
<A NAME="beno">
<B>beno, </B>noun. (in the Philippines) <B>=aguardiente.</B></DL>
