Beneficence
(Be*nef"i*cence) n. [L. beneficentia, fr. beneficus: cf. F. bénéficence. See Benefice.] The
practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and goodness.
And whose beneficence no charge exhausts.
Cowper.
Syn. — See Benevolence.
Beneficent
(Be*nef`i*cent) a. Doing or producing good; performing acts of kindness and charity; characterized
by beneficence.
The beneficent fruits of Christianity.
Prescott.
Syn. — See Benevolent.
Beneficential
(Be*nef`i*cen"tial) a. Relating to beneficence.
Beneficently
(Be*nef"i*cent*ly) adv. In a beneficent manner; with beneficence.
Beneficial
(Ben`e*fi"cial) a. [Cf. F. bénéficial, LL. beneficialis.]
1. Conferring benefits; useful; profitable; helpful; advantageous; serviceable; contributing to a valuable end; —
followed by to.
The war which would have been most beneficial to us.
Swift.
2. (Law) Receiving, or entitled to have or receive, advantage, use, or benefit; as, the beneficial owner
of an estate. Kent.
3. King. [Obs.] "A beneficial foe." B. Jonson.
Syn. — See Advantage.
Beneficially
(Ben`e*fi"cial*ly), adv. In a beneficial or advantageous manner; profitably; helpfully.
Beneficialness
(Ben`e*fi"cial*ness), n. The quality of being beneficial; profitableness.
Beneficiary
(Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry) a. [Cf. F. bénéficiaire, LL. beneficiarius.]
1. Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or
other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession.
A feudatory or beneficiary king of England.
Bacon.
2. Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts.
Beneficiary
(Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry), n.; pl. Beneficiaries
1. A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds. Ayliffe.
2. One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives
help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate.
The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose beneficiaries they are.
Jer. Taylor.
Beneficiate
(Ben`e*fi"ci*ate) v. t. [Sp. beneficiar to benefit, to work mines.] (Mining) To reduce —
Ben`e*fi`ci*a"tion n.
