28 ‘good’ words derived from Greek and Latin

Let’s talk about something good.

There are a variety of words for good things, based on ancient words for “good”: Latin bonus and Greek eu. Let’s take a look at them:

Good words from Latin

In Rome, bonus was the Latin word for “good, noble, kind, honest, brave.” Since Latin gave birth to the Romance languages of Europe, words such as bon, bien, bueno and buon are found today in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian.

English speakers commonly use the French expressions “bon voyage” (“Have a good trip”) and “bon appetit” (“Enjoy your meal”). The opposite prefix of “bon” or “bene” is “mal,” or bad. Once you learn the meaning of “benevolent,” you know the meaning of “malevolent.”