Adjacent Words

bounty definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: payment or reward (especially from a government) for acts such as catching criminals or killing predatory animals or enlisting in the military [syn: bounty, premium]
2: the property of copious abundance [syn: amplitude, bountifulness, bounty]
3: generosity evidenced by a willingness to give freely [syn: bounty, bounteousness]
4: a ship of the British navy; in 1789 part of the crew mutinied against their commander William Bligh and set him afloat in an open boat [syn: Bounty, H.M.S. Bounty]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural bounties) Etymology: Middle English bounte goodness, from Anglo-French bunté, bountee, from Latin bonitat-, bonitas, from bonus good, from Old Latin duenos; akin to Sanskrit duva reverence, favor Date: 13th century 1. something that is given generously 2. liberality in giving ; generosity 3. yield especially of a crop 4. a reward, premium, or subsidy especially when offered or given by a government: as a. an extra allowance to induce entry into the armed services b. a grant to encourage an industry c. a payment to encourage the destruction of noxious animals d. a payment for the capture of or assistance in the capture of an outlaw

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 liberality; generosity. 2 a gift or reward, made usu. by the State, esp.: a a sum paid for a valiant act. b a sum paid to encourage a trading enterprise etc. c a sum paid to army or navy recruits on enlistment. Phrases and idioms: bounty-hunter a person who pursues a criminal or seeks an achievement for the sake of the reward. King's (or Queen's) bounty hist. a grant made to a mother of triplets. Etymology: ME f. OF bonté f. L bonitas -tatis f. bonus good

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bounty Boun"ty, n.; pl. Bounties. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bont['e], fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.] 1. Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [Obs.] Nature set in her at once beauty with bounty. --Gower. 2. Liberality in bestowing gifts or favors; gracious or liberal giving; generosity; munificence. My bounty is as boundless as the sea. --Shak. 3. That which is given generously or liberally. ``Thy morning bounties.'' --Cowper. 4. A premium offered or given to induce men to enlist into the public service; or to encourage any branch of industry, as husbandry or manufactures. Bounty jumper, one who, during the latter part of the Civil War, enlisted in the United States service, and deserted as soon as possible after receiving the bounty. [Collog.] Queen Anne's bounty (Eng. Hist.), a provision made in Queen Anne's reign for augmenting poor clerical livings. Syn: Munificence; generosity; beneficence.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bounties) 1. You can refer to something that is provided in large amounts as bounty. (LITERARY) ...autumn's bounty of fruits, seeds and berries. N-VAR: with supp 2. A bounty is money that is offered as a reward for doing something, especially for finding or killing a particular person. They paid bounties for people to give up their weapons. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Liberality, munificence, beneficence, generosity. 2. Present, gift, benefaction. 3. Premium (for encouragement), reward, bonus.

Moby Thesaurus

Trinkgeld, aid, alimony, allotment, allowance, annuity, assistance, award, beneficence, bigheartedness, bonus, bonus system, bounteousness, bountifulness, bribe, charitableness, charity, consideration, depletion allowance, dole, donative, double time, easy purse strings, endowment, fee, fellowship, financial assistance, free hand, freedom, freehandedness, freeheartedness, freeness, fringe benefit, generosity, generousness, gift, givingness, goodness, graciousness, grant, grant-in-aid, gratuity, gravy, grease, great heart, greatheartedness, guaranteed annual income, help, honorarium, hospitality, incentive pay, inducement, lagniappe, largeheartedness, largeness, largess, largesse, liberality, liberalness, magnanimity, munificence, old-age insurance, open hand, open heart, openhandedness, openheartedness, overtime pay, palm oil, pecuniary aid, pension, perks, perquisite, perquisites, philanthropy, pourboire, premium, present, price support, public assistance, public welfare, relief, retirement benefits, reward, salve, scholarship, solatium, something extra, sportula, stipend, subsidization, subsidy, subvention, support, sweetener, tax benefit, tip, unselfishness, welcome, welfare, welfare aid, welfare payments