In today’s video we’ll continue to expand our vocabulary and learn a new English word – “benevolent.”
Let’s break it into parts and learn the word’s origin.
The root of the word – “vol” comes from Latin “velle,” which means “to wish.”
Prefix “bene-” also comes from Latin and means “well.”
And suffix “-ent” in English helps form an adjective and means “he who” or “that which…”
Thus, the literal meaning of “benevolent” is “he who wishes well.”
To be benevolent means to be good, to be well-wishing, and the word can be applied to people, fictional characters, or even intentions.
Here is an example of how to use the word in a sentence:
“In literature, most witches are wicked, but some are quite benevolent.”
Cheers.
TP