benefic

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>benefic</strong> &#149; \buh-NEF-ik\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> producing good or helpful results or effects <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beneficent">beneficent</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"A broad range of biological effects has been attributed to aromatic plants and their components…. There are many reports proving the <em>benefic</em> effects against depression, anxiety, epilepsy, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD)." — <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=XZvgDwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA155#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Sandra Gonçalves et al., in <em>Oxidative Stress and Dietary Antioxidants in Neurological Diseases</em>, 2020</a></p> <p>"But you may want to keep an eye on your texts, emails, and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DM">DMs</a> on Monday, November 13, darling <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Virgo">Virgo</a>. When <em>benefic</em> planets Venus and Jupiter team up in your third <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house">house</a> of communication, positive tidings are absolutely on the horizon!" – <a href="https://www.allure.com/story/weekly-horoscope-week-of-november-13-2017">Aliza Kelly Faragher, <em>Allure</em>, 13 Nov. 2017</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Benefic</em> comes from Latin <em>beneficus</em>, which in turn comes from <em>bene</em> ("well") and <em>facere</em> ("to do"). The word was originally used by astrologers to refer to celestial bodies believed to have a favorable influence, and it's still used in astrological contexts. <em>Benefic</em>, <em>beneficial</em>, and <em>beneficent</em> are all synonyms, but there are shades of difference. <em><a h