01 n. Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth.
pl.
Bounties
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1.
Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth.[Obs.]“Nature set in her at once beauty with bounty.” — Gower.
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2.
Liberality in bestowing gifts or favors; gracious or liberal giving; generosity; munificence.“My bounty is as boundless as the sea.” — Shak.
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3.
That which is given generously or liberally.
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4.
A premium offered or given to induce men to enlist into the public service; or to encourage any branch of industry, as husbandry or manufactures.
Phrases & compounds
Bounty jumper —
one who, during the latter part of the Civil War, enlisted in the United States service, and deserted as soon as possible after receiving the bounty.
Queen Anne's bounty —
a provision made in Queen Anne's reign for augmenting poor clerical livings.
Syn.
Munificence; generosity; beneficence.