beneficiary

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: ben=e=fi=ciar=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

beneficiary, a. [Cf. F. bénéficiaire, LL. beneficiarius.].

•  Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession.  [1913 Webster]

  "A feudatory or beneficiary king of England."  [1913 Webster]
•  Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts.  [1913 Webster]

beneficiary, n. 

•  A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds.  Ayliffe.  [1913 Webster]
•  One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate.  [1913 Webster]

  "The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose beneficiaries they are."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

beneficiary, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a person who receives benefits, esp. under a person's will.
2 a holder of a church living.

Etymology

L beneficiarius (as BENEFICE)

THESAURUS

beneficiary

allottee, almsman, almswoman, annuitant, assign, assignee, benefice-holder, cestui, cestui que trust, cestui que use, deedholder, devisee, donee, feoffee, feudatory, grantee, householder, incumbent, laird, landlady, landlord, legatary, legatee, lord, master, mesne, mesne lord, mistress, owner, patentee, pensionary, pensioner, proprietary, proprietor, proprietress, proprietrix, rentier, resident, residentiary, squire, stipendiary, titleholder

ROGET THESAURUS

beneficiary

Possessor

N possessor, holder, occupant, occupier, tenant, person in possession, man in possession, renter, lodger, lessee, underlessee, zemindar, ryot, tenant on sufferance, tenant at will, tenant from year to year, tenant for years, tenant for life, owner, proprietor, proprietress, proprietary, impropriator, master, mistress, lord, land holder, land owner, landlord, land lady, slumlord, lord of the manor, lord paramount, heritor, laird, vavasour, landed gentry, mesne lord, planter, cestui-que-trust, beneficiary, mortgagor, grantee, feoffee, releasee, relessee, devisee, legatee, legatary, trustee, holder of the legal estate, mortgagee, right owner, rightful owner, heir presumptive, heir apparent, heiress, inheritor, inheritress, inheritrix, reversioner, remainderman.

Receiving

N receiving, acquisition, reception, suscipiency, acceptance, admission, recipient, accipient, assignee, devisee, legatee, legatary, grantee, feoffee, donee, releasee, relessee, lessee, receiver, sportulary, stipendiary, beneficiary, pensioner, pensionary, almsman, income, receiving, recipient, suscipient, received, given, secondhand, not given, unbestowed &c (give), (bestow).

Clergy

N clergy, clericals, ministry, priesthood, presbytery, the cloth, the desk, clergyman, divine, ecclesiastic, churchman, priest, presbyter, hierophant, pastor, shepherd, minister, father, father in Christ, padre, abbe, cure, patriarch, reverend, black coat, confessor, dignitaries of the church, ecclesiarch, hierarch, ebdomarius, eminence, reverence, elder, primate, metropolitan, archbishop, bishop, prelate, diocesan, suffragan, dean, subdean, archdeacon, prebendary, canon, rural dean, rector, parson, vicar, perpetual curate, residentiary, beneficiary, incumbent, chaplain, curate, deacon, deaconess, preacher, reader, lecturer, capitular, missionary, propagandist, Jesuit, revivalist, field preacher, churchwarden, sidesman, clerk, precentor, choir, almoner, suisse, verger, beadle, sexton, sacristan, acolyth, acolothyst, acolyte, altar boy, chorister, Pope, Papa, pontiff, high priest, cardinal, ancient flamen, flamen, confessor, penitentiary, spiritual director, cenobite, conventual, abbot, prior, monk, friar, lay brother, beadsman, mendicant, pilgrim, palmer, canon regular, canon secular, Franciscan, Friars minor, Minorites, Observant, Capuchin, Dominican, Carmelite, Augustinian, Gilbertine, Austin Friars, Black Friars, White Friars, Gray Friars, Crossed Friars, Crutched Friars, Bonhomme, Carthusian, Benedictine, Cistercian, Trappist, Cluniac, Premonstatensian, Maturine, Templar, Hospitaler, Bernardine, Lorettine, pillarist, stylite, abbess, prioress, canoness, religieuse, nun, novice, postulant, prophet, priest, high priest, Levite, Rabbi, Rabbin, Rebbe, scribe, mullah, muezzin, ayatollah, ulema, imaum, imam, sheik, sufi, kahin, kassis, mufti, hadji, dervish, fakir, faquir, brahmin, guru, kaziaskier, poonghie, sanyasi, druid, bonze, santon, abdal, Lama, talapoin, caloyer, the Reverend, the very Reverend, the Right Reverend, ordained, in orders, called to the ministry.