Definition of "benevolence" []

• An inclination to perform kind, charitable acts. (noun)
• A kindly act. (noun)
• A gift given out of generosity. (noun)
• A compulsory tax or payment exacted by some English sovereigns without the consent of Parliament. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In its more special meaning it has been supposed [134] to imply not merely the going forth of good towards an object, but the meeting of good in that object, the term benevolence being used to express the love of that which in itself does not contain any love-worthiness."
• "Beside the benevolence is a redness in tooth and claw that is sickening and alienating and it is somehow part of a horrible left-hand/right-hand situation."
• "Well, then, the quality which we call benevolence is, in fact, a perfection; and it is this perfection which Môshi spoke of as the heart of man."