Word of the Day

: September 12, 2009

munificent

adjective myoo-NIF-uh-sunt

What It Means

1 : very liberal in giving or bestowing : lavish

2 : characterized by great liberality or generosity

munificent in Context

At the banquet, the president of the city's performing arts center thanked all the munificent subscribers and sponsors who made the theatrical season a success.

Did You Know?

"Munificent" was formed back in the late 1500s when English speakers, perhaps inspired by similar words such as "magnificent," altered the ending of "munificence." "Munificence" in turn comes from "munificus," the Latin word for "generous," which itself comes from "munus," a Latin noun that is variously translated as "gift," "duty," or "service." "Munus" has done a fine service to English by giving us other terms related to service or compensation, including "municipal" and "remunerate."