bounty

views updated May 17 2018

boun·ty / ˈbountē/ • n. (pl. -ties) 1. generosity; liberality: fig. for millennia the people along the Nile have depended entirely on its bounty. ∎ abundance; plenty: we ask that growers share their bounty with others.2. a monetary gift or reward, typically given by a government, in particular: ∎  a sum paid for killing or capturing a person or animal: there was an increased bounty on his head. ∎  a sum paid to army or navy recruits upon enlistment. ∎ poetic/lit. something given or occurring in generous amounts: the bounties of nature.

bounty

views updated May 23 2018

bounty †goodness, excellence; gracious liberality XIII; gift, gratuity XVIII. — (O)F. bonté :- L. bonitās, -āt-, f. bonus good; see -TY2.
Hence bountiful XVI.

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