munificent

English

WOTD – 6 September 2012

Etymology

Back-formation from munificence, from Latin mūnificentia.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /mjuˈnɪfɨsn̩t/

Adjective

munificent (comparative more munificent, superlative most munificent)

1. (of a person or group) Very liberal in giving or bestowing.
   • 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, ch. 30:

     Tellson's Bank . . . was a munificent house, and extended great liberality to old customers who had fallen from their high estate.

   • 1974 April 8, "Politics: Milkmen Skimming Off More Cream," Time (retrieved 5 Sept 2013):

     [M]ilk producers are among the most munificent backers of political campaigns in the U.S.

   • 2008 March 20, Martin Filler, "Broad-Minded Museum," New York Review of Books (retrieved 5 Sept 2013):

     An exceptionally munificent benefactor of several institutions, he has given $100 million each to MIT and Harvard.

2. (of a gift, donation, etc.) Very generous; lavish.
   • 1886, Louisa May Alcott, Jo's Boys, ch. 1:

     On the hill, where kites used to be flown, stood the fine college which Mr Laurence's munificent legacy had built.

   • 1914, William MacLeod Raine, A Daughter of the Dons, ch. 25:

     It was all very well for this casual youth to make her a present of a half million acres of land in this debonair way, but she could not persuade herself to accept so munificent a gift.

   • 1969 April 11, "Business: Up, Up and Away with Wages," Time (retrieved 5 Sept 2013):

     The machinists finally agreed to a munificent increase averaging 5.7% a year for three years.

Synonyms

• bounteous, generous, liberal

Derived terms

• munificently

Related terms

• munificence

Translations

(of a person or group) very liberal in giving or bestowing

• Armenian: առատաձեռն (hy) (aṙatajeṙn)
• Czech: velkomyslný, velkorysý (cs)
• Dutch: vrijgevig (nl), goedgeefs (nl), gul (nl), munificent, genereus (nl)
• Finnish: antelias (fi), avokätinen (fi)
• German: freigebig
• Hindi: दानवीर (hi) (dānvīr)
• Indonesian: dermawan (id)
• Italian: munifico (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 후하다 (ko) (huhada)
• Maori: ngākau oha
• Norwegian: raus (no), rundhåndet
• Russian: ще́дрый (ru) m (ščédryj)
• Spanish: generoso (es), desprendido (es), dadivoso, munificente (es)
• Swedish: frikostig (sv), givmild (sv), generös (sv)
• Westrobothnian:

(of a gift, donation, etc.) very generous; lavish

• Czech: velkomyslný, velkorysý (cs)
• Finnish: antelias (fi), avokätinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 후하다 (ko) (huhada)

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Dutch

Etymology

From Latin munificus, munificens (“liberal”), from munus (“gift”) + facio (“I make”).

Adjective

munificent (comparative munificenter, superlative munificentst)

1. generous

Inflection

Declension of munificent
uninflected	munificent
inflected	munificente
comparative	munificenter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		munificent	munificenter	het munificentst het munificentste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	munificente	munificentere	munificentste
	n. sing.	munificent	munificenter	munificentste
	plural	munificente	munificentere	munificentste
definite		munificente	munificentere	munificentste
partitive		munificents	munificenters	—

Synonyms

• (generous): genereus, gul, goedgeefs, vrijgevig, royaal