different between boon vs charity

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bu?n/
• Rhymes: -u?n

Etymology 1

From Middle English boon (“prayer”), from Old Norse bón (“prayer, petition”), from Proto-Germanic *b?niz (“supplication”), influenced by boon (“good, favorable”, adj). Doublet of ben; see there for more.

Noun

boon (plural boons)

1. (obsolete) A prayer; petition.
2. (archaic) That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.
   • 1881, The Bible (English Revised Version), James 1:17:

     Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above [...]

   • 1872, James De Mille, The Cryptogram:^[1]

     I gave you life. Can you not return the boon by giving me death, my lord?

3. A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

4. (Britain, dialectal) An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

Synonyms

• (a thing received) See gift and favor
• (a good thing) blessing; benefit

Antonyms

• bane

Translations

See also

• boon and bane
• boon or bane

Etymology 2

From Middle English boon, bone, borrowed from Old Northern French boon, from Old French bon (“good”), from Latin bonus (“good”), from Old Latin duonus, dvenos, from Proto-Indo-European *d?- (“to respect”).

Adjective

boon (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Good; prosperous.

2. (archaic) Kind; bountiful; benign.

   • Which […] Nature boon / Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain.

3. (now only in boon companion) gay; merry; jovial; convivial.
   • 1712, John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull

     a boon companion, loving his bottle

   • Episode 16

     ?No, Mr Bloom repeated again, I wouldn't personally repose much trust in that boon companion of yours who contributes the humorous element, if I were in your shoes.

   • Les Misérables (musical), "Master of the House," second and third refrains, fifth line:

     (2) "Everybody's boon companion, / Everybody's chaperon"; (3) "Everybody's boon companion: / Give[s] 'em everything he's got"

Related terms

• bounty

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English bone (North), akin to or alteration of Old English bune (“reed”).

Noun

boon (uncountable)

1. The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

Synonyms

• shive, shove

References

Anagrams

• Bono, NOBO, Obon, noob

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch boon, from Middle Dutch bône, from Old Dutch *b?na, from Proto-Germanic *baun?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b???n/

Noun

boon (plural bone, diminutive boontjie)

1. bean

Descendants

• ? Xhosa: imbotyi (from the diminutive)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bône, from Old Dutch *b?na, from Proto-Germanic *baun?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo?n/
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): [bo?n]
• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): [bo??n]
• (Netherlands)
• Hyphenation: boon
• Rhymes: -o?n

Noun

boon f or m (plural bonen, diminutive boontje n)

1. bean

Hypernyms

• peulvrucht

Derived terms

• blauwe boon
• bonenkruid
• bruine boon
• cacaoboon
• kidneyboon
• koffieboon
• rumboon
• snijboon
• sojaboon
• sperzieboon
• tuinboon
• witte boon

Descendants

• Afrikaans: boon
  • ? Xhosa: imbotyi (from the diminutive)
• ? Indonesian: buncis (from the diminutive plural)
• ? Javanese: buncis (from the diminutive plural)
• ? Papiamentu: bonchi (from the diminutive)
• ? Sranan Tongo: bonki (from the diminutive)

Middle English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo?n/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Norse bón, from Proto-Germanic *b?niz.

Alternative forms

• bone

Noun

boon (plural boons or boonen)

1. prayer, supplication, request
2. boon, bonus

Descendants

• English: boon
• Scots: boon

Etymology 2

From Old English b?n.

Noun

boon (plural boons)

1. Alternative form of bon

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Old Northern French boon, from Old French bon (“good”).

Alternative forms

• bone

Adjective

boon

1. good

Descendants

• English: boon

English

Etymology

From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin c?rit?s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?t?æ??ti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?t????ti/

Noun

charity (countable and uncountable, plural charities)

1. (countable) An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
2. (countable) The goods or money given to those in need.
3. (uncountable) Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.
4. In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.
   • July 20, 1677, John Mitchell Mason, letter to a friend

     Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou witl judge others with the judgment of charity.

5. (archaic, Christianity) Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.

   Synonym: agape

   • Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.

Synonyms

• (organization): charitable organization

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• "charity" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 54.

Anagrams

• chytrai