Putting In a Good Word (bon-Latin root for "good"; bene-Latin root for "well")

Just as Latin vocabulary is the heart of the vocabularies of the Romance languages
(French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian), Latin grammar is the basis for
their grammatical structures. Throughout the centuries, English vocabulary and grammar have been strongly influenced by Latin and by the Romance languages,   
especially French. In Latin grammar, converting an adjective, which usually told "what kind," into an adverb, which told "in what way" involved changing the suffix. In the previous post, "malus" followed that pattern; therefore, it came into English as one root, "mal," which means "bad" or "badly." The adjective "good," however, is irregular in Latin and in English; i.e., in forming the adverb it doesn't follow the pattern but instead becomes a wholly different word. The Latin "bonus" becomes "bene," and the English "good" becomes "well." (The adjective "well," which means "healthy," is an entirely different word from the adverb "well," which means "in a good way," and has no relevance here.) This post will  focus on two word parts: "bon," from the Latin adjective "bonus," meaning "good," and "bene," from the Latin adverb "bene," meaning "well." A word which contains "bene" or "bon" has a positive connotation.


The following English words are made from the root "bene," meaning "well":

BENEDICTINE  (ben uh DIK tin) - noun - a member of the religious Order of St. Benedict
Her uncle is a BENEDICTINE priest.

BENEDICTION  (ben uh DIK shun) - noun - literally "good saying" - speaking well, a blessing, an invocation of a blessing
The congregation filed from the church after the BENEDICTION.

BENEFACTION  (ben uh FAK shun) - noun - doing good, good deed, gift for a charitable purpose
The philanthropist was known for his frequent BENEFACTIONS.

BENEFACTOR  (BEN uh fak ter) - noun - literally "one who does good" - a person who does something good, one who gives help or financial assistance
Many alumni of the school were generous BENEFACTORS.

BENEFICE  (BEN uh fis) - noun - favor, a financial gift to a priest
The parishioner gave her pastor a BENEFICE.

BENEFICENCE  (ben EF ih sens) - noun - doing good through kindness or charity
The BENEFICENCE of its alumni allowed the school to give many scholarships.

BENEFICIAL  (ben uh FISH ul) - adjective - advantageous, having a good or helpful effect, productive of good
Eating fruits and vegetables is BENEFICIAL to your health.
Rest is usually BENEFICIAL to a person suffering from a cold.

BENEFICIARY  (ben uh FISH ee air ee) - noun - a person who receives a benefit or advantage, as from a will or an insurance policy
She was surprised to be named the BENEFICIARY of her aunt's will.
We are the BENEFICIARIES of the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers.

BENEFIT  (BEN uh fit) - noun or verb - an advantage, something that is helpful or profitable, to provide help or profit
The proceeds from the auction were used to BENEFIT a children's charity.
Scientists can find no BENEFIT in some nutritional supplements.
His new job has excellent fringe BENEFITS.

BENEVOLENCE  (buh NEV uh lens) - noun- wishing well, an inclination to do good, a kind or charitable act
They were grateful for the BENEVOLENCE of their neighbors.
He was admired for his BENEVOLENCE toward the poor.

BENEVOLENT  (buh NEV uh lent) - adjective - literally "wishing well" - wishing someone well, inclined to show kindness and good will toward others
The manager's BENEVOLENT attitude endeared him to his staff.
She often recalls her grandfather's wise words and BENEVOLENT disposition.

BENIGN  (buh NINE) - adjective - having a gentle and kind attitude or disposition, not cancerous or life-threatening, harmless
She showed  a BENIGN acceptance of her children's misbehavior.
He was relieved to hear that the tumor was BENIGN.
Scientists are always looking for a source of energy that is ecologically BENIGN.

NOTA BENE  (NO tuh BEE nee) - verb and adverb - observe well, take notice, note well, pay attention - a command used in memos and abbreviated as N.B.



The following words are derived from the root "bon," meaning "good":

BONA FIDE  (BO nuh fide) - adjective - Latin - in good faith, genuine, sincere, legitimate, without fraud, done without intent to deceive - opposite of "mala fide," meaning "in bad faith"
We need to find a BONA FIDE expert to advise us.

BONANZA  (buh NAN zuh) - noun - a rich vein of ore, something that yields unexpected wealth
The company they acquired turned out to be a BONANZA.

BON APPETIT (BON ah puh tee) - French - Have a good meal!
Julia Child closed every show with the words "BON APPETIT."

BONBON  (BON bon) - noun - a small candy
Would you like some of these delicious BONBONS?

BONBONNIERE  (bon bon YAIR) - noun - French - a fancy dish or box for bonbons
There was an array of BONBONNIERES on the sideboard.

BONHOMIE  (BON uh MEE) - noun - French - a genial good nature, good-heartedness, affability
His natural BONHOMIE made him popular with his peers.

BON MOT  (bon MO) - noun - pl. bons mots - French -  a witty saying,  clever remark,  repartee, memorable statement
His BON MOT was quoted repeatedly in the press.
His admirers savored his every BON MOT.

BONUS  (BO nus) - noun - a reward, an extra benefit, extra pay
Each worker was given a BONUS at Christmas.
We enjoyed the trip to Paris; the evening cruise on the Seine was a special BONUS.

BON VIVANT  (bo vee VAH) - noun - pl. BONS VIVANTS - French - a lover of good living, especially fine food and wine
People in Las Vegas remember Dean Martin for being a BON VIVANT.
The newspaper's food critic is known in town to be a BON VIVANT.
His income was not large enough to support his BON VIVANT lifestyle.

BON VOYAGE  (bo vwuh YAHZH) - noun - French -  Have a good trip!
BON VOYAGE! Enjoy every minute!

BOON  ( BOON) - noun - a benefit, blessing, gift, favor
Internet shopping is a BOON to those who don't like malls.
Your generous donation was a BOON to our campaign.
The wide range of anesthetics is a BOON to modern surgery.

BOUNTEOUS  (BOUN tee us) - adjective - giving freely, freely bestowed
We enjoyed the BOUNTEOUS feast laid before us.
The once-BOUNTEOUS fruit trees were destroyed by the storm.
His fans showered him with a BOUNTEOUS feast of attention.

BOUNTIFUL  (BOUN tuh ful) - adjective - plentiful, generous, munificent
The pilgrims gave thanks for a BOUNTIFUL harvest.
Saudi Arabia acquired its wealth from BOUNTIFUL oil fields.
The trout catch was BOUNTIFUL this year.
The BOUNTIFUL rewards provided by his work were a powerful incentive.

BOUNTY  (BOUN tee) - noun - a reward, a gift, generosity, payment for capture of a criminal, yield
We were thankful for the BOUNTY harvested from our garden.
The family enjoyed summer's BOUNTY of plump tomatoes. 
They watched a program about BOUNTY hunters.

PRO BONO  (PRO BO no) - adjective or adverb - shortened version of the Latin phrase "pro bono publico," which means "for the public good" - describes work that lawyers do for the poor, for which they charge no fee
He takes on many PRO BONO cases for his law firm.
I'll defend your son PRO BONO.