Benefitted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have derived a positive outcome from a beneficial circumstance
2. To have obtained assistance that resulted in an improvement or gain
3. Experienced a gain or improvement due to favorable conditions

Etymology: "Benefitted" is the spelling variant of "benefited," the past tense and past participle of "benefit," so the history belongs to the verb itself. That verb came into English from Anglo-Norman "benfet," a form of Old French "bienfait," meaning "good deed" or "favour," and this in turn descends from Latin "benefactum," literally "a well-done thing." The Latin root combines "bene," "well," with "factum," "something done," the same "fact" root found in words like "factory" and "manufacture." The earliest English sense was closer to "a kindness" or "an advantage conferred," and the verb grew from that noun. To benefit someone was to do them good, and to be benefited was to receive that good. The sense of gaining from something, the one given here, developed from this idea of receiving an advantage. The doubled "t" in "benefitted" is a matter of spelling convention. Both "benefited" and "benefitted" are accepted, with "benefited" being the more common form in American usage and "benefitted" historically more common in British writing.

Synonyms: helped, assisted, advantaged

Antonyms: harmed, disadvantaged