Where does “benefits” come from?
Benefits derives from Middle English benefytt, from Middle English benfet, from Middle French bienfait, from Middle French bienfaire, from Middle French bien and Latin facio meaning "to do."
benefits (English): plural of benefit; Third-person singular simple...
Definitions
- plural of benefit; Third-person singular simple...
Ancestry of “benefits”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | benefit | An advantage; help or aid from something; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | benefytt | — |
| 3 | Middle English | benfet | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | benfet | well-done |
| 5 | Old French | bienfet | — |
| 6 | Old French | bienfaire | to do good, do well |
| 7 | Old French | bien | well; indeed; possession; object of value |
| 8 | Latin | bene | well; properly, exactly; agreeably, favorably |
| 9 | Latin | bonus | good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant;... |
| 10 | Old Latin | duenos | Alternative form of duonus |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | dwenos | good |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dew- | to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be... |