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n. 1. Ecclesiastical a. A church office endowed with fixed capital assets that provide a living. b. The revenue from such assets. 2. A landed estate granted in feudal tenure. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin beneficium, benefit, from beneficus, benefic; see BENEFIC.] bene·fice v. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2019 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
