bienveillant
French
Etymology
From bien (“well”) + veuillant (archaic present participle of vouloir; unrelated to veiller). Calque of Latin benevolēns.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bjɛ̃.vɛ.jɑ̃/, /bjɛ̃.ve.jɑ̃/
Audio (file)
Adjective
bienveillant (feminine bienveillante, masculine plural bienveillants, feminine plural bienveillantes)
- benevolent, kind
- Synonym: (archaic) bénévolent
- Antonym: malveillant
- 1909, Renée Vivien, “Ton âme”, in Poèmes:
- Ton âme est la fraîcheur, ton âme est la rosée, / Ton âme est ce regard bienveillant du matin
- Your soul is cool air, your soul is dew, / Your soul is the benevolent gaze of the morning
- wholesome
Related terms
Further reading
- “bienveillant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Alternative forms
- bienveuillant
- bienvoeillant
- bienvueillant
Etymology
Old French bienvoulant.
Adjective
bienveillant m (feminine singular bienveillante, masculine plural bienveillans, feminine plural bienveillantes)
Descendants
- French: bienveillant
References
- bienveillant on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
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