Word of the Day

: September 5, 2007

benign

adjective bih-NYNE

What It Means

1 : of a gentle disposition : gracious

2 a : showing kindness and gentleness

b : favorable, wholesome

3 a : of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; especially : not becoming cancerous

b : having no significant effect : harmless

benign in Context

Mr. Richardson was a benign man and an excellent teacher, and the children loved and trusted him instinctively.

Did You Know?

"Benediction," "benefactor," "benefit," "benevolent," and "benign" are just some of the English words that derive from the well-tempered Latin root "bene," which means "well." "Benign" came to English via Anglo-French from the Latin "benignus," which in turn paired "bene" with "gignere," meaning "to beget." "Gignere" has produced a few offspring of its own in English. Its descendants include "congenital," "genius," "germ," "indigenous," and "progenitor," among others.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.