Benevolentness

/bəˈnɛvələntnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or characteristic of being benevolent; the state of showing kindness and goodwill.

Etymology

Created by adding the -ness suffix to benevolent to form an abstract noun. This represents a more Germanic approach to forming nouns compared to Latin-based -ency or -ence forms.

Kelly Says

English gives us three ways to say almost the same thing—benevolence, benevolency, and benevolentness—which is why English speakers can sound either elegant or redundant depending on how many synonyms they pile into one sentence.

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