Benignant is an adjective meaning "kind and gracious, especially toward inferiors". Historically, it is from benign + -ant, modeled on malignant, ultimately from Latin benignus ('kind'), from bene ('well') + the root of genus ('birth, nature'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: benignant is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "kind and gracious, especially toward inferiors", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Latin benignus, Latin bene, and Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-. Close English family members include benignantly, benign, benignity, and malignant.