bene

English

Alternative forms

  • been (dialectal)
  • ben, beane (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Noun

bene (plural benes)

  1. (now chiefly dialectal) A prayer, especially to God; a petition; a boon.
    What is good for a bootless bene? — Wordsworth.

Related terms

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Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

bene

  1. singular present subjunctive of benen

Anagrams

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Italian

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia it

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Pronunciation

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
    Non è necessario spendere una fortuna per mangiare bene. - You don’t need to spend a fortune to eat well.
  2. properly, correctly, rightly
    La mia lavatrice non funziona bene, qualcuno mi può aiutare? - My washing machine isn't working properly, can anybody help me?
  3. thoroughly, carefully
    Leggere bene le istruzioni prima dell'uso. - Read the instructions carefully before use.
  4. as much as, as many as
    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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from bene (adverb)

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
    L'eterna lotta tra il bene e il male. The eternal struggle between good and evil.
  2. (chiefly in the plural) goods, property, possessions, belongings, assets
    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
    Lo faccio per il tuo bene! - I'm doing this for your sake!
  4. happiness
    Auguro ogni bene a te e alla tua famiglia. Wish you and your family every happiness.
  5. sweetheart, darling, love
    Sei il mio bene! - You are my sweetheart!

Antonyms

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • bene immobile
  • bene mobile
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Latin

Etymology

From bonus (“good”)

Pronunciation

Adverb

bene (comparative melius, superlative optimē)

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

Related terms

Descendants

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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 21:34