benefice Definition
ben·efice (ben′ə fis)
noun
- land held by a feudal tenant for services rendered the owner
- an endowed church office providing a living for a vicar, rector, etc.
- its income
Etymology: ME < OFr < ML beneficium < L, a kindness, service, promotion < benefic
transitive verb -·ficed, -·fic·ing
to provide with a benefice
benefice Usage Examples
Object
- clergyman: Several series in the archive provide information on the careers of beneficed clergymen.
- clergy: At that time there was no retirement age for beneficed clergy.
Converse of object
- unite: These two parishes have recently become a united benefice.
- hold: They were to hold the benefice in common, officiating in alternate months.
- become: In 1929 Wasdale Head became a joint benefice together with Nether Wasdale.
- exchange: The largest group of acta arose from the practice, widespread by the end of the fourteenth century, of exchanging benefices.
- form: Voicing the answers to the questionnaire at the end was invaluable especially as we are a newly formed benefice.
Adjective modifier
- rectorial: In a vacancy in a rectorial benefice the Chairman shall be a Vicar of that benefice designated by the Area Dean.
- ecclesiastical: Glebe land is usually regarded as land belonging to either a parish church or an ecclesiastical benefice of some kind.
- vacant: The ranks of the clergy had been so much depleted that was impossible to find incumbents for the vacant benefices.
- joint: In 1929 Wasdale Head became a joint benefice together with Nether Wasdale.
- separate: Between 1291 and 1535 it became a separate benefice.
- small: We saw earlier that while the parish system worked within small benefices and communities, it was experiencing more problems in Welsh speaking areas.
Modifies a noun
- name: Patronage The patron of each benefice is listed under the benefice name.
- model: In this instance the stipendiary clergy would be based in Monmouth using the rectorial benefice model.
Noun used with modifier
parish: St Mary the Virgin Exbourne Devon Exbourne is a village of 400 people in mid-Devon and is part of a four parish benefice.
Preposition: in
county: It is considered one of the most valuable benefices in the county.
Preposition: of
parish: St Mary the Virgin Radwinter Essex A benefice of four parishes in Essex, partly farming country, partly commuter belt.
Browse dictionary entries near benefice
- ‹ benefic
- ‹ benefactress
- ‹ benefactor
- ‹ benefaction
- ‹ Benedictus
- ‹ benediction
- ‹ Benedictine
- ‹ benedict
- ‹ beneath
- ‹ bends

