benign

benign
benign (adj.) early 14c., from O.Fr. benigne (12c., "kind, benign, merciful, gracious;" Mod.Fr. bénin, fem. bénigne), from L. benignus "kindly, kindhearted, friendly, generous," lit. "well born," from bene "well" (see BENE- (Cf. bene-)) + gignere "to bear, beget," from genus "birth" (see GENUS (Cf. genus)). For similar sense evolution, Cf. GENTLE (Cf. gentle), KIND (Cf. kind) (adj.), GENEROUS (Cf. generous). Related: Benignly.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • benign — BENÍGN, Ă, benigni, e, adj. (Despre boli) Lipsit de gravitate; uşor. – Din lat. benignus, fr. bénin, igne. Trimis de paula, 02.06.2002. Sursa: DEX 98  Benign ≠ malign Trimis de siveco, 03.08.2004. Sursa: Antonime  BENÍGN adj. (med.) curabil,… …   Dicționar Român

  • Benign — Be*nign , a. [OE. benigne, bening, OF. benigne, F. b[ e]nin, fem. b[ e]nigne, fr. L. benignus, contr. from benigenus; bonus good + root of genus kind. See {Bounty}, and {Genus}.] 1. Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • benign — [adj1] kindly amiable, beneficent, benevolent, benignant, complaisant, congenial, favorable, friendly, generous, genial, gentle, good, goodhearted, gracious, kind, liberal, merciful, mild, obliging, sympathetic; concept 542 Ant. hateful, hostile …   New thesaurus

  • benign — [bi nīn′] adj. [ME & OFr benigne < L benignus, good, lit., well born < bene, well (cf. sense development of GENTLE) + genus, birth: see GENUS] 1. good natured; kindly 2. favorable; beneficial 3. Med. doing little or no harm; not malignant;… …   English World dictionary

  • benign — index beneficial, benevolent, charitable (lenient), favorable (expressing approval), harmless, humane, nontoxic …   Law dictionary

  • benign — 1 benignant, kindly, *kind Analogous words: *gracious, genial, cordial, affable: sympathetic, *tender, compassionate: *suave, urbane, bland Antonyms: malign Contrasted words: malignant, malevolent, *malicious, spiteful: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • benign — is principally used in medicine to mean ‘not life threatening’; its opposite is malignant. The word benignant, meaning ‘kindly’ or ‘beneficial’, has largely fallen out of use …   Modern English usage

  • benign — ► ADJECTIVE 1) genial and kindly. 2) favourable; not harmful. 3) (of a tumour) not malignant. DERIVATIVES benignity noun benignly adverb. ORIGIN Latin benignus, probably from bene well + genus born …   English terms dictionary

  • benign — [[t]bɪna͟ɪn[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n You use benign to describe someone who is kind, gentle, and harmless. They are normally a more benign audience... Critics of the scheme take a less benign view. Syn: charitable Derived words: benignly ADV …   English dictionary

  • benign — adjective Etymology: Middle English benigne, from Anglo French, from Latin benignus, from bene + gignere to beget more at kin Date: 14th century 1. of a gentle disposition ; gracious < a benign teacher > 2 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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