bene

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See also: Bene, bene-, B-ene, b-ene, and bɛŋɛ

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English bene, from Old English bēn (“prayer, request, petition, favour, compulsory service”), from Proto-Germanic *bōniz (“supplication”). Cognate with Danish bøn (“prayer”), Swedish bön (“prayer”), Icelandic bæn (“prayer”), Icelandic bón (“request”). Related to ban. See also boon, bee.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

bene (plural benes)

  1. (now chiefly dialectal) A prayer, especially to God; a petition; a boon.
Related terms

Etymology 2

Noun

bene (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of benne (“sesame”)

Etymology 3

UK C16. Probably from Latin bene or Italian bene.

Alternative forms

Adjective

bene (comparative benar, superlative benat)

  1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Good.
    • 1828, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Pelham: or The Adventures of a Gentleman‎, page 383:
      Egad, you carry a bene blink aloft. Come to the ken alone—no! my blowen; did not I tell you I should bring a pater cove, to chop up the whiners for Dawson?
Synonyms
Derived terms

Noun

bene (plural benes)

  1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Tongue.
    Stowe your bene!

References

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Noun

bene

  1. plural of been

Corsican

Pronunciation

Noun

bene m

  1. Alternative form of bè

References

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

bene

  1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of benen

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian bene.

Pronunciation

Adverb

bene

  1. Synonym of bien

Italian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛ.ne/
  • Audio (Northern Italy)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛne
  • Hyphenation: bè‧ne

Adjective

bene (invariable)

  1. upper-class, posh, high
    Parioli è il quartiere bene di Roma per eccellenza.
    Parioli is the posh Rome neighborhood par excellence.

Adverb

bene (comparative meglio, superlative benissimo)

  1. well, nicely, OK, right
    Antonym: male
    Non è necessario spendere una fortuna per mangiare bene.
    You don’t need to spend a fortune to eat well.
  2. properly, correctly, rightly
    Synonym: correttamente
    Antonyms: erratamente, erroneamente
    La mia lavatrice non funziona bene, qualcuno mi può aiutare?
    My washing machine isn't working properly, can anybody help me?
  3. thoroughly, carefully
    Synonyms: attentamente, minuziosamente
    Leggere bene le istruzioni prima dell'uso.
    Read the instructions carefully before use.
  4. as much as, as many as
    Synonym: valore di
    Gli agricoltori della Luisiana hanno subito una perdita di ben 450 milioni di dollari a causa dell'uragano Gustav.
    Louisiana farmers face lost income of as much as $450 million because of Hurricane Gustav.

Derived terms

Terms derived from bene (adverb)

Related terms

Interjection

bene

  1. good!; fine!
    Bene! Sono proprio felice che hai avuto delle buone notizie!
    Good! I’m so glad you got some good news!

Noun

bene m (plural beni)

  1. good
    Antonym: male
    L'eterna lotta tra il bene e il male.
    The eternal struggle between good and evil.
  2. (usually in the plural) goods, property, possessions, belongings, assets
    Synonyms: proprietà, possedimenti
    Dopo il suo secondo infarto, Mario vendette tutti i suoi beni ed andò in Nepal.
    Following his second heart attack, Mario had sold all his property and left for Nepal.
  3. sake, good
    Antonym: male
    Lo faccio per il tuo bene!
    I'm doing this for your sake!
  4. happiness
    Synonym: felicità
    Antonym: tristezza
    Auguro ogni bene a te e alla tua famiglia.
    Wish you and your family every happiness.
  5. sweetheart, darling, love, bless someone's cotton socks
    Synonyms: amore, tesoro, amato
    Sei il mio bene! ― You are my sweetheart!
  6. asset

Derived terms

Further reading

Latin

Etymology

From Old Latin *duenēd, from duenos (“good”), which gave bonus, from Proto-Italic *dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European *dew- (“to show favor, revere”).

Pronunciation

Adverb

bene (comparative melius, superlative optimē)

  1. well
    Antonym: male
    Tibi bene ex animo volo.
    I wish you well with all my heart.
  2. properly, exactly
  3. agreeably, favorably

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

  • Balkan Romance:
    • Aromanian: ghini, ghine
    • Istro-Romanian: bire
    • Megleno-Romanian: bini
    • Romanian: bine
  • Dalmatian:
  • Italo-Romance:
  • North Italian:
  • Gallo-Romance:
  • Occitano-Romance:
  • Ibero-Romance:
  • Insular Romance:
    • Sardinian: bene (Logudorese), beni (Campidanese)

References

  • “bene”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “bene”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • bene in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • bene in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • so-and-so is in a very satisfactory position; prospers: agitur praeclare, bene cum aliquo
    • the matter progresses favourably, succeeds: aliquid (bene, prospere) succedit or procedit (opp. parum procedere, non succedere)
    • for a life of perfect happiness: ad bene beateque vivendum
    • to deserve well at some one's hands; to do a service to..: bene, praeclare (melius, optime) mereri de aliquo
    • I wish you all success in the matter: bene id tibi vertat!
    • you were right in...; you did right to..: recte, bene fecisti quod...
    • to have a good or bad reputation, be spoken well, ill of: bene, male audire (ab aliquo)
    • a good Latin scholar: bene latine doctus or sciens
    • to receive a liberal education: liberaliter, ingenue, bene educari
    • he is a young man of great promise: adulescens alios bene de se sperare iubet, bonam spem ostendit or alii de adulescente bene sperare possunt
    • to inculcate good (bad) principles: bene (male) praecipere alicui
    • to cross-examine cleverly, put leading questions: bene interrogare
    • that Greek proverb contains an excellent lesson: bene illo Graecorum proverbio praecipitur
    • to hope well of a person: bene, optime (meliora) sperare de aliquo (Nep. Milt. 1. 1)
    • a good conscience: conscientia recta, recte facti (factorum), virtutis, bene actae vitae, rectae voluntatis
    • a good conscience: mens bene sibi conscia
    • a moral (immoral) man: homo bene (male) moratus
    • a sound and sensible system of conduct: vitae ratio bene ac sapienter instituta
    • with the help of the gods: dis bene iuvantibus (Fam. 7. 20. 2)
    • and may God grant success: quod deus bene vertat!
    • to bless (curse) a person: precari alicui bene (male) or omnia bona (mala), salutem
    • to manage one's affairs, household, property well or ill: rem bene (male) gerere (vid. sect. XVI. 10a)
    • your health: bene tibi or te!
    • to entertain, regale a person: accipere aliquem (bene, copiose, laute, eleganter, regio apparatu, apparatis epulis)
    • a safe journey to you: bene ambula et redambula
    • good men of business: negotii bene gerentes (Quint. 19. 62)
    • to buy cheaply: parvo, vili pretio or bene emere
    • to have the good of the state at heart: bene, optime sentire de re publica
    • a success; a glorious feat of arms: res bene gesta
    • to win, lose a fight (of the commander): rem (bene, male) gerere (vid. sect. XII. 2, note rem gerere...)
    • I am sorry to hear..: male (opp. bene) narras (de)
  • “bene”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎
  • “bene”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Middle Dutch

Noun

bêne

  1. inflection of bêen:
    1. dative singular
    2. nominative/accusative/genitive plural

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English bēan, from Proto-West Germanic *baunu, from Proto-Germanic *baunō. The final vowel is generalised from the Old English inflected forms.

Pronunciation

Noun

bene (plural benes)

  1. bean

Descendants

References

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin bene (“well”). Compare Italian bene.

Adjective

bene

  1. well

Adverb

bene

  1. well

West Makian

Pronunciation

Noun

bene

  1. louse

References

  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics
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