Boon

How to spell boon

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce boon

What does boon mean?

1. nounA thing that is very helpful or beneficial; a welcome advantage.

Boon in a sentence

• The new tax break proved a real boon to small businesses.

• Fast home broadband was a boon for everyone working remotely.

Where does boon come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

Boon entered English from the Old Norse word bon, which meant a prayer, a petition, or a request made to someone. In its earliest English use, around the 1100s and 1200s, it kept this sense and described a favour that was specifically asked for, as in begging a boon of a lord or king. Over time the meaning drifted from the act of asking to the thing granted, so a boon became the benefit or gift itself. The modern flavour of boon as a welcome blessing was probably reinforced by the unrelated French and Latin word bon and bonus, meaning good, even though the two are not actually from the same source. The double o reflects the long oo vowel and keeps the word visually distinct from the everyday word boom.

How the word is built

• boon (from Old Norse bon: a prayer or request)