Benignity comes from Latin benignitās ('kindness'), from benignus ('kind'), from bene ('well') + the root of genus ('birth, nature'). The historical trail runs through benignitās in Latin, benignus in Latin, and *ǵenh₁- in Proto-Indo-European. Morphologically, benignity is transparent: it draws on Latin benignitās ('kindness'), from benignus ('kind'), from bene ('well') + the root of genus ('birth, nature'). Used as a noun, benignity now means "kindness, gentleness, or harmlessness", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as benign, benignant, and malignity. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.