Season of Giving

To give is truly better than to receive, right?

Saturdays are perfect days for generous surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about the vocabulary of giving today!

As we enter what adults call the Season of Giving (and children refer to as present time), we do well to arm ourselves with a little lexigraphical lagniappe (something given as a bonus or extra gift) to dole out during gift exchanges. Share with your loved ones the roots of various synonyms for the word gift:

• Benefaction, beneficence, benevolence are all high-sounding words deriving from BENE- meaning good. Decide whether you are doing (FAC-/FIC-) good or wishing (VOL-) well.

• Bonus is also considered something good, based on the root BON-.

• A heart of the word contribution is a familiar root, TRIBUT- meaning to give.

• Donation is also tied to a generous root, DONA- meaning to give.

• Largesse evokes expansive generosity and bounty, as befits a word deriving from LARG- meaning abundant or copious.

• MUN- is another root for gift, from which we get lovely words like munificence and munificent.

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” —Maya Angelou