benign

****************************************************************
Attention word gurus:  try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores.
http://www.wordsweep.com
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for September 5 is: 

benign   \bih-NYNE\   adjective
     *1 : of a gentle disposition : gracious
     2 a : showing kindness and gentleness  b : favorable, wholesome
     3 a : of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; especially : not becoming cancerous b : having no significant effect : harmless

Example sentence:
     Mr. Richardson was a benign man and an excellent teacher, and the children loved and trusted him instinctively.

Did you know?
          "Benediction," "benefactor," "benefit," "benevolent," and "benign" are just some of the English words that derive from the well-tempered Latin root “bene,” which means "well." "Benign" came to English via Anglo-French from the Latin “benignus,” which in turn paired “bene” with “gignere,” meaning "to beget." “Gignere” has produced a few offspring of its own in English. Its descendants include "congenital," "genius," "germ," "indigenous," and "progenitor," among others.





You Are Subscribed As: [email protected]

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N24L6

To change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:
http://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102