benevolence

== English == === Etymology === Circa 1400, original sense “good will, disposition to do good”, Old French benivolence from Latin benevolentia (also directly from Latin), literally “good will”, from bene (“well, good”) + volentia, form of volēns, form of volō (“I wish”), components cognate to English benefit and voluntary, more distantly will (via Proto-Indo-European). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bəˈnɛvələns/ === Noun === benevolence (countable and uncountable, plural benevolences) (uncountable) Disposition to do good. (uncountable) Charitable kindness. (countable) An altruistic gift or act. (UK, historical) A kind of forced loan or contribution levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV in 1473. ==== Antonyms ==== malevolence ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References ===