Beneficiary

How to spell beneficiary

11 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce beneficiary

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does beneficiary mean?

1. nounA person or organisation that receives money, property, or advantage, especially under a will, trust, or insurance policy.

Beneficiary in a sentence

• She named her daughter as the sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy.

• The charity was the main beneficiary of the estate after all debts were paid.

Where does beneficiary come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin beneficiarius, meaning a person who enjoys a favour or benefit, which was built on beneficium, 'a kindness, favour, or benefit'. That noun in turn joined bene, meaning 'well' or 'good', with the verb facere, 'to do or make', so the literal idea is 'something done well for someone'. English adopted the term in the early 1600s, at first in church and legal settings to describe someone who held a beneficium, an endowed office or living. From there it broadened to mean anyone who receives money, property, or advantage, especially under a will, trust, or insurance policy. The same bene root sits inside benefit, benefactor, and benevolent, and the spelling trap is exactly that buried -fici- in the middle, where the soft c followed by the -iary tail catches careful writers out.

How the word is built

• bene- (well, good)
• fic (from facere: to do/make)
• -iary (noun suffix denoting a person who receives)