Bene
/ˈbeɪ.ni/noun
A Latin adverb meaning "well" or "good."
Did you know?Bene is the Latin adverb behind a huge family of “good” words, and in Roman-style language it often worked like a verbal blessing: to speak well was to shape favor.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to set, put, do”
Latin
Latin
bene
“well, properly, rightly”
Late Latin
Latin
bene factum
“a good deed; something well done”
Old French
Old French
bien
“well, good”
Middle English
English
bene
“well; good (in learned or borrowed forms)”
Explore more surprising origins