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Webster 1913 Edition

Beneficiary

Benˊe-fi′ci-a-ry

,
Adj.
[Cf. F.
bénéficiaire
, LL.
beneficiarius
.]
1.
Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession.
A feudatory or
beneficiary
king of England.
Bacon.
2.
Bestowed as a gratuity;
as,
beneficiary
gifts
.

Benˊe-fi′ci-a-ry

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Beneficiaries
.
1.
A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds.
Ayliffe.
2.
One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate.
The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose
beneficiaries
they are.
Jer. Taylor.

Webster 1828 Edition

Beneficiary

BENEFI'CIARY

,
Adj.
[L.beneficiarius. See Benefaction.]
Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; having a dependent and secondary possession.

BENEFI'CIARY

,
Noun.
One who holds a benefice. A beneficiary is not the proprietor of the revenues of his church; but he has the administration of them, without being accountable to any person. The word was used, in the middle ages, for a feudatory, or vassal.
1.
One who receives any thing as a gift, or is maintained by charity.

Definition 2024

beneficiary

beneficiary

English

Noun

beneficiary ‎(plural beneficiaries)

  1. One who benefits or receives an advantage.
    You are the lucky beneficiary of this special offer.
    • 2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian:
      The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the Chelsea midfielder's 11 in World Cup qualification ties, with this a display to roll back the years.
  2. (law) One who benefits from the distribution, especially of an estate.
    If any beneficiary does not survive the Settlor for a period of 30 days then the Trustee shall distribute that beneficiary’s share to the surviving beneficiaries by right of representation.

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

beneficiary ‎(not comparable)

  1. Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession.
    • Francis Bacon
      a feudatory or beneficiary king of England
  2. Bestowed as a gratuity.
    beneficiary gifts

See also

Etymology

From Latin beneficiarius ‎(“enjoying a favor, granted a privilege”) from beneficium ‎(“benefit”), perhaps via or influenced by French bénéficiaire ‎(“beneficiary”). Indirectly, by way of the etymology of the Latin word beneficium, the English word beneficiary ultimately has the same origin as the English word benefactor, its near antonym.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əɹ.i/, /ˌbɛn.əˈfɪʃ.əɹ.i/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌbɛn.ɨˈfɪʃ.ɚ.i/, /bɛn.əˈfɪʃ.iˌɚ.i/

Similar Results