Meaning & use
benempt
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparablearchaicliterary
Given a name or called something; also, promised or assured in a formal way.
Grammar: An old adjective used after a linking verb, as in 'he was benempt'; it does not take comparative forms.
Patterns
- be benempt something
- benempt by someone
In the old poem, the hero is benempt the Lion of the North.
The knight was benempt by his king to defend the border.
Scholars still debate what the poet meant when he wrote that the child was benempt.
Common combinations
- be benempt by
- The castle was benempt by the villagers after the old lord.
- benempt something
- In the tale, the sword is benempt Excalibur's sister.
- so benempt
- The land, so benempt in ancient charters, has long since changed hands.
Synonyms and how they differ
- named
- Named is the modern everyday word; benempt is archaic and appears only in old or poetic texts.
- called
- Called is the normal modern choice; benempt sounds deliberately old-fashioned.
- promised
- Promised is the ordinary word for something assured to someone; benempt carries that sense only in old writing.
Word family
- bename verb
- An archaic verb meaning to name or call something; benempt is its past participle.
Commonly confused: benempt or beneath? benempt or bankrupt?
benempt vs beneath
Beneath means 'under' and is still common; benempt is an obsolete word meaning 'named' or 'promised'.
benempt vs bankrupt
Bankrupt means unable to pay debts; benempt has nothing to do with money.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'benempt' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Benempt' is an archaic adjective meaning 'named', so it fits 'was benempt the Sea Hawk'. It is not a verb of action or a noun, so the other options are wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “benempt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.