See Also: benign(dictionary)
benign(dictionary)
Benign(health)
Benign(medicine)
Benign tumor(health)
benign lymphadenosis(medicine)
benign tetanus(medicine)
benign mesothelioma(medicine)
benign nephrosclerosis(medicine)
benign stupor(medicine)

once (iou) and benign (iou)


once (iou)



once adverb, conjunction, noun, & adjective. ME.
[from ONE adjective + -S3.]
A. adverb.
On one occasion, for one time only. Also, multiplied by one, by one degree. ME.
J. B. Priestley Miss Trant read it through once. S. Bedford The cure was asked to dinner once a year.
b. In the first place, firstly. Only in 16.
Chiefly in conditional and negative statements: on any occasion, under any circumstances; ever, at all, only, merely. ME.
W. Black Once past the turnpike, the highway runs along an elevated ridge. Oxford English Dictionary If we once lose sight of him we shall never set eyes on him again. R. Lehmann I haven't seen her fussed once.
emphatic. = once and for all below. Also, to sum up; in short. Now only US dial. ME.
At some point or period in the past; on some past occasion; formerly. ME.
E. Waugh Years of war had left their marks on the once gay interior. I. McEwan The whole house had once belonged to his grandfather.
At some future time; one day. Now rare. LME.
Dryden Britons and Saxons shall be once one people.
b. conjunction. When once, if once; as soon as. ME.
O. Manning Once the treasure is secure, I mean to ease Lomay into publishing.
C. noun. One occasion, a single time (chiefly after a preposition or demonstrative); ellipt. the action or fact of doing something once. ME.
Oxford English Dictionary Once a week is enough for me. L. P. Hartley On most occasions..Isabel was pleased..but for this once she wasn't.
D. adjective.
Done or performed once. Now rare. M16.
W. Abney Once coating is generally sufficient.
That once was; former. L17.
R. Broughton Nothing remains but for the once enemies to say farewell. T. H. White The once and future king.
Phrases: all at once (a) without warning, suddenly; (b) all together. at once (a) immediately, without delay; (b) simultaneously. cousin once removed: see COUSIN noun. every once in a while = once in a while below. for once and all arch. = once and for all below. for once (in one's life) on this occasion, if on no Other. not once on no occasion, never. not once nor twice, not once or twice many times. once again on a further occasion, not for the first time. once and again arch. more than once. once and for all, (arch.) once and away once as a final act; conclusively, so as to end uncertainty. once in a blue moon: see BLUE adjective. once in a way rarely, exceptionally. once in a while from time to time; very occasionally. once more on one more occasion, once again. once or twice a few times. once too often once more than necessary or tolerable (and so as to incur unpleasant repercussions). once upon a time at some vague time in the past (usu. as a conventional opening of a story). THAT once. this once: see THIS pronoun & adjective.
Comb.: once-born adjective not born-again, unregenerate; once-off adjective happening only once; once-over colloq. a quick (and usu. cursory) inspection or search; a rapid superficial assessment; an appraising glance.
onceness noun the fact or quality of happening only once, or all at once M19.

benign (iou)



benign adjective. ME.
[Old & mod. French benigne from Latin benignus prob. for benigenus, from bene well + -genus born; for the formation cf. MALIGN adjective, for the sense Latin gentilis GENTLE adjective.]
Of a kindly disposition, gracious. ME.
R. D. Laing Assurance that during sleep he is being watched over by benign presences (parents, good fairies, angels).
Manifesting kindly feeling; bland, gentle, mild. LME.
benign neglect lack of attention reflecting confidence in or a favourable disposition towards a person or thing; well-intentioned or beneficial neglect.
R. Macaulay He nodded and was benign, but anyone could see he did not agree. J. Heller Sid was regarding the assault upon Gold with a smiling and benign countenance.
Of a thing: favourable, propitious, salutary. LME.
C. Bront? On whose birth benign planets have certainly smiled. A. J. P. Taylor The weather was uniformly benign. E. F. Schumacher We were very rapidly using up a certain kind of irreplaceable capital asset, namely the tolerance margins which benign Nature always provides.
Medicine.
a. Of a medicine: mild in action. M17-M18.
b. Of a disease or tumour: not malignant. M18.
benignly adverb LME.