munificence

English

WOTD – 16 September 2013

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mjuːˈnɪfɪsəns/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle French munificence, from Latin munificentia, from munus (“gift”) + facio (“I make”).

Noun

munificence (usually uncountable, plural munificences)

1. The quality of being munificent; generosity.

Related terms

• municipal
• municipality
• munificent
• remunerate
• remuneration

 

Translations

the quality of being munificent; generosity

• Arabic: سَخَاء‎ m (saḵāʔ), كَرَم‎ m (karam)
• Armenian: առատաձեռնություն (hy) (aṙatajeṙnutʻyun), շռայլություն (hy) (šṙaylutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: щедрост (bg) f (štedrost)
• Catalan: munificència f
• Czech: štědrost f
• Dutch: gulheid (nl) f, vrijgevigheid (nl) f, goedgeefsheid (nl) f, generositeit (nl) f, munificentie f
• Finnish: anteliaisuus (fi), avokätisyys (fi)
• French: générosité (fr) f
• German: Freigebigkeit (de) f, Großzügigkeit (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek:

  Ancient: μεγαλοπρέπεια f (megaloprépeia)

• Irish: mórmhaitheas f
• Portuguese: munificência (pt) f
• Russian: ще́дрость (ru) f (ščédrostʹ)
• Sanskrit: राधस् (sa) n (rādhas)
• Serbo-Croatian: štedrost f, izdašnost (sh) f
• Slovak: štedrosť f
• Spanish: munificencia (es) f
• Swedish: frikostighet (sv) c, generositet (sv) c, givmildhet (sv) c

Etymology 2

Compare Latin munire (“to fortify”).

Noun

munificence

1. (obsolete) Means of defence; fortification.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Untill that Locrine for his Realmes defence,
     Did head against them make and strong munificence

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French

Etymology

From Latin munificentia.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

munificence f (plural munificences)

1. generosity, munificence

Further reading

• “munificence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.