benign

Definitions

bene/ben- (good, well) + ign (the gn/gen root 'born') = 'born good, of good nature.' It is the exact mirror of malignant ('born bad'). A benign tumour is harmless by nature; a benign person or climate is kindly, mild. The 'born good' image runs through every use.

Why It Means This

The medical sense (benign vs malignant) is the famous pair, but the word's power is in 'born good': something whose very nature is harmless or kindly. That's why it covers a tumour, a smile, a ruler, or a climate — in each case nothing in its nature means harm. The hidden gen root is the same one in benign's twin, malignant.

Common Collocations

• 1.benign tumor良性肿瘤
• 2.benign growth良性增生
• 3.benign neglect善意的忽视
• 4.benign smile和蔼的微笑

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The biopsy showed the lump was benign.

• 2.

  He gave a benign smile and waved us in.

• 3.

  The climate here is mild and benign all year.

Easily Confused

benign vs malignant — the core medical pair. benign (ben- 'good') = harmless, not spreading; malignant (mal- 'bad') = cancerous, spreading, dangerous. Both hide the gen/gn root 'born': benign = born good, malignant = born bad.