bene
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
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 edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bene (plural benes)
- (now chiefly dialectal) A prayer, especially to God; a petition; a boon.
- 1815, William Wordsworth, The Force of Prayer:
- What is good for a bootless bene?
Related terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
bene (uncountable)
- Alternative form of benne (“sesame”)
Etymology 3 edit
UK C16. Probably from Latin bene or Italian bene.
Alternative forms edit
Adjective edit
bene (comparative benar, superlative benat)
- (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Good. [16th–19th c.]
- 1828, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Pelham: or The Adventures of a Gentleman[1], 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 edit
- See Thesaurus:good
Derived terms edit
- bene bowse
- bene cove
- bene darkmans
- bene feaker
- bene feaker of gybes
- bene lightmans
- bene mort
- beneship
- beneshiply
- cut bene
Noun edit
bene (plural benes)
- (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Tongue. [16th–18th c.]
- Stowe your bene!
References edit
- [Francis Grose] (1788) “Bene”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC.
- Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890) “bene”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volumes I (A–K), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, →OCLC, page 107.
- John S[tephen] Farmer, compiler (1890) “bene”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume I, [London: […] Thomas Poulter and Sons] […], →OCLC, pages 178–179.
- Eric Partridge, The Routledge Dictionary of Historical Slang. Routledge, 1973. →ISBN.
Anagrams edit
Afrikaans edit
Noun edit
bene
Corsican edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bene m
- Alternative form of bè
References edit
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
bene
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Adverb edit
bene
- Synonym of bien
Italian edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
bene (invariable)
- upper-class, posh, high
- Parioli è il quartiere bene di Roma per eccellenza.
- Parioli is the posh Rome neighborhood par excellence.
Adverb edit
bene (comparative meglio, superlative benissimo)
- 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.
- 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?
- thoroughly, carefully
- Synonyms: attentamente, minuziosamente
- Leggere bene le istruzioni prima dell'uso.
- Read the instructions carefully before use.
- as much as, as many as
Derived terms edit
- alla bene e meglio
- benaccetto / ben accetto
- benalzato / ben alzato
- benarrivato / ben arrivato
- benché
- ben cotto
- ben detto
- bendisposto / ben disposto
- beneamato / bene amato
- benedire
- beneducato / bene educato
- benefattore
- benefico
- benemerente
- benemerito
- bene o male
- beneplacito
- benessere
- benestante
- benestare
- benevolo
- benfatto / ben fatto
- benigno
- beninformato / ben informato
- benintenzionato / ben intenzionato
- beninteso / ben inteso
- benino
- benmeritare
- bennato / ben nato
- benone
- benpensante / ben pensante
- benservito
- bensì
- bentornato / ben tornato
- bentosto / ben tosto
- bentrovato / ben trovato
- benveduto / ben veduto
- ben venga
- benvenuto / ben venuto
- benvisto / ben visto
- ben volentieri
- benvolere
- di bene in meglio
- nota bene
- perbene / per bene
- stare bene
- va bene
- volere bene
Related terms edit
Interjection edit
bene
- good!; fine!
- Bene! Sono proprio felice che hai avuto delle buone notizie!
- Good! I’m so glad you got some good news!
Noun edit
bene m (plural beni)
- good
- Antonym: male
- L'eterna lotta tra il bene e il male.
- The eternal struggle between good and evil.
- (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.
- sake, good
- Antonym: male
- Lo faccio per il tuo bene!
- I'm doing this for your sake!
- happiness
- sweetheart, darling, love, bless someone's cotton socks
- asset
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- bene on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia it
Latin edit
Etymology edit
From Old Latin *duenēd, from duenos (“good”), which gave bonus, from Proto-Italic *dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European *dew- (“to show favor, revere”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈbe.ne/, [ˈbɛnɛ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈbe.ne/, [ˈbɛːne]
Adverb edit
bene (comparative melius, superlative optimē)
- well
- Antonym: male
- Tibi bene ex animo volo.
- I wish you well with all my heart.
- properly, exactly
- agreeably, favorably
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
- Balkan Romance:
- Dalmatian:
- Italo-Romance:
- North Italian:
- Gallo-Romance:
- Occitano-Romance:
- Ibero-Romance:
- Insular Romance:
References edit
- “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[2], 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)
- so-and-so is in a very satisfactory position; prospers: agitur praeclare, bene cum aliquo
- “bene”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia[3]
- “bene”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
Middle Dutch edit
Noun edit
bêne
- inflection of bêen:
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
Noun edit
bene (plural benes)
Descendants edit
References edit
- “bēn(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Sardinian edit
Etymology edit
From Latin bene (“well”). Compare Italian bene.
Adjective edit
bene
Adverb edit
bene
West Makian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bene
References edit
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[4], Pacific linguistics