benefit

English

Etymology

From Late Middle English benefytt, benefett, alteration (due to Latin bene-) of benfet, bienfet, bienfait (“good or noble deed”), from Anglo-Norman benfet (“well-done”), Middle French bienfait, from Old French bienfet, bienfait (“foredeal, favour”), from past participle of bienfaire (“to do good, do well”), from bien (“well”) + faire (“to do”), modelled after Latin benefactum (“good deed”). More at benefactor.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛn.ə.fɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

benefit (plural benefits)

1. An advantage, help, sake or aid from something.

   It was for her benefit.   His benefit was free beer.

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:

     When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.

2. A payment made in accordance with an insurance policy or a public assistance scheme.
3. An event such as a performance, given to raise funds for some cause.
4. (obsolete) beneficence; liberality

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Webster (1623) to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (advantage, help): foredeal, advantage, aid, assistance, boon, help
• (payment): subsidy

Antonyms

• (advantage, help): disadvantage, encumbrance, hindrance, nuisance, obstacle, detriment

Derived terms

• beneficial
• benefiter

Translations

advantage, help or aid

• Arabic: فَائِدَة‏‎ f (fāʾida), جَدْوَى‏‎ (jadwā)
• Armenian: օգուտ (hy) (ōgut)
• Bulgarian: полза (bg) f (polza), изгода (bg) f (izgoda), доход (bg) m (dohod)
• Catalan: benefici (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 得益 (zh) (déyì), 益處 (zh), 益处 (zh) (yìchu)

• Czech: výhoda (cs) f
• Danish: hjælp (da)
• Dutch: voordeel (nl) n, idiomatic expression: ten voordele van, nut (nl) n
• Esperanto: avantaĝo (eo), profito, utilo
• Ewe: viɖe
• Finnish: etu (fi), hyöty (fi)
• French: avantage (fr) m, bénéfice (fr) m
• Galician: beneficio (gl) m
• Georgian: სარგებელი (sargebeli), სარგებლობა (sargebloba), ხეირი (xeiri)
• German: Vorteil (de) m
• Greek: όφελος (el) n (ófelos), ωφέλεια (el) f (oféleia)
• Interlingua: beneficio, avantage
• Irish: brabach m

• Italian: beneficio (it) m
• Japanese: 利益 (ja) (りえき, rieki), public benefit: 公益 (ja) (こうえき, kōeki), 恩恵 (ja) (おんけい, onkei)
• Korean: 이익 (ko) (iik)
• Krymchak: мефе (mefe)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: سوود‏‎ (sood)

• Malay: kebaikan, faedah
• Maori: huanga, patanga, pai (mi)
• Nahuatl: teinellili
• Portuguese: benefício (pt)
• Romanian: avantaj (ro) n
• Russian: преиму́щество (ru) n (preimúščestvo), вы́года (ru) f (výgoda), по́льза (ru) f (pólʹza), при́быль (ru) f (príbylʹ), (privilege or exemption) льго́та (ru) (lʹgóta), бла́го (ru) n (blágo), (colloquial) толк (ru) m (tolk), (colloquial) прок (ru) m (prok)
• Scottish Gaelic: prothaid f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: dȍbrobīt (sh) f

• Spanish: beneficio (es), ventaja (es)
• Swahili: manufaa (sw)
• Swedish: fördel (sv) c
• Telugu: లబ్ధి (te) (labdhi)

payment, subsidy

• Armenian: նպաստ (hy) (npast)
• Bulgarian: социална помощ (socialna pomošt)
• Dutch: uitkering (nl), subsidie (nl) f
• Esperanto: subvencio
• Finnish: avustus (fi), korvaus (fi)
• French: subvention (fr) f
• German: Leistung (de) f
• Greek: επίδομα (el) n (epídoma)
• Japanese: 給付金 (きゅうふきん, kyūfukin), 手当 (ja) (てあて, teate)
• Korean: 급부 (ko) (geupbu), 수당 (ko) (sudang)

• Maori: mini oranga, penihana
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ytelse m

• Portuguese: pagamento (pt) m, subsídio (pt) m
• Russian: посо́бие (ru) n (posóbije), социа́льная по́мощь f (sociálʹnaja pómoščʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: subvèncija (sh), nȃknada (sh) f

• Swedish: bidrag (sv) n, understöd (sv) n
• Telugu: లబ్ధి (te) (labdhi)

performance given to raise funds

• Bulgarian: бенефис (bg) m (benefis)
• Catalan: benefici (ca) m
• Dutch: benefiet (nl) m, benefietconcert n
• Esperanto: benefico
• Finnish: lahjanäytäntö, lahjanäytös, lahjaottelu
• German: Benefizkonzert n, Benefizveranstaltung f
• Japanese: 慈善興行 (じぜんこうぎょう, jizenkōgyō)

• Korean: 자선행사 (jaseonhaengsa)
• Portuguese: beneficente (pt)
• Romanian: beneficiu (ro) n, beneficii n pl
• Russian: бенефи́с (ru) m (benefís)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: dobrotvorna akcija f

See also

• lagniappe

Verb

benefit (third-person singular simple present benefits, present participle benefiting or benefitting, simple past and past participle benefited or benefitted)

1. (transitive) To be or to provide a benefit to.
   • Bible, Jer. xviii. 10

     I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

2. (intransitive) To receive a benefit (from); to be a beneficiary.

Usage notes

• Benefiting and benefited are more common, with benefitting and benefitted being a minor variant especially in the US.

Synonyms

• help, batten, behoove

Antonyms

• malefic
• detriment

Derived terms

Terms derived from benefit

• benefit association
• benefit-cost analysis
• benefit-cost ratio
• benefit dollar
• benefit in kind
• benefit of clergy
• benefit principle
• benefits coordinator
• benefit society
• bennies

• cafeteria benefit
• child tax benefit
• core benefit
• cost-benefit analysis
• death benefit
• elective benefit
• employee benefit
• equivalent annual benefit
• family benefit

• friend with benefits
• fringe benefit
• income-related benefit
• injury benefit
• maternity benefit
• means-tested benefit
• nonstatutory fringe benefit
• nonwage benefit
• private benefit

• risk-benefit
• sickness benefit
• state benefit
• stranded benefit
• supplementary benefit
• survivor benefit
• unemployment benefit
• variable death benefit
• widow’s benefit

Related terms

Related terms

• benefactor

• beneficence

• beneficent

• beneficiary

Translations

to be or provide a benefit to

• Bulgarian: ползвам някого (polzvam njakogo)
• Catalan: beneficiar (ca)
• Czech: prospět
• Esperanto: profiti
• Finnish: olla hyödyksi, olla hyödyllinen, hyödyttää (fi)
• German: von Vorteil sein
• Greek: ωφελώ (el) (ofeló), ευεργετώ (el) (evergetó)

  Ancient: ἀγαθοποιέω (agathopoiéō)

• Japanese: 役立つ (やくだつ, yakudatsu)
• Korean: 이롭다 (ko) (iropda)
• Portuguese: beneficiar (pt)
• Spanish: beneficiar (es)
• Swedish: gagna (sv), gynna (sv)

to receive a benefit

• Catalan: beneficiar (ca)
• Czech: prospět
• Esperanto: profiti
• Finnish: hyötyä (fi)
• French: profiter (fr)
• Georgian: სარგებლობა (sargebloba), გამორჩენა (gamorčena)
• German: profitieren (de)

• Greek: ωφελούμαι (el) (ofeloúmai), ευεργετούμαι (el) (evergetoúmai)
• Japanese: 得する (とくする, tokusuru)
• Korean: 견리하다 (gyeollihada)
• Ngazidja Comorian: uhundra faiɗa
• Portuguese: beneficiar-se de
• Spanish: beneficiar (es)
• Swedish: dra fördel av, gynnas (sv), gagnas (sv)

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English benefit.

Noun

benefit m (invariable)

1. benefit, advantage

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Latin

Verb

benefit

1. third-person singular present passive indicative of benefaciō