Benign comes from Latin benignus, which was formed from bene, meaning "well," and gignere, "to beget." Gignere is the root of such English words as genius and germ.
… substituting such benign power sources as the hybrid, the fuel cell, and the electric motor in place of … the internal-combustion engine. Brock Yates, Car and Driver, May 2000Rather than a benign fairytale creature that delivers babies, the marabou stork is an ugly, viciously predatory African bird that preys on flamingos … James Polk, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 1996… her pulled-back black hair had gone gray in strange distinct bands, but she seemed much as he remembered her, solid and energetic, with a certain benign defiance. John Updike, New Yorker, 23 May 1988When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 We were happy to hear that the tumor was benign. around campus he's known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benignSee More
Recent Examples on the WebBoth malicious and benign apps use code libraries to interact with the OS kernel. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 30 Aug. 2022 The model, for instance, may misunderstand the intent behind identity terms, failing to differentiate between benign and adversarial prompts. Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 26 Aug. 2022 Why do some tumors shift from benign to fast-growing and deadly? Scott Kirsner, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2022 Corporate tie-ins aren’t shouted in the exhibition; there’s none of the kind of branding and hard sell found at even the most benign of world fairs. Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Nov. 2021 The atmosphere that is brewed by Green and his director of photography, Robert Elswit, is a blend of the aggressive and the benign. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2021 The character is described as a benign, play-it-safe, seemingly risk-averse computer salesman and devoted family man, married with two kids. Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021 The company is starting with pediatrics because many parents have experiences similar to DaSilva's: their kids' fevers, bumps, and rashes occur outside doctors' office hours and could require immediate medical attention—or could be benign. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 25 July 2022 Equally, the arrival of American forces was not seen as benign by the powers bordering these countries, whether Pakistan or China or Iran. Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 4 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English benigne, from Anglo-French, from Latin benignus, from bene + gignere to beget — more at kin