| n. | 1. | |
| 1. | A favor or benefit. | |
| 2. | (Feudal Law) An estate in lands; a fief. | |
| 3. | An ecclesiastical living and church preferment, as in the Church of England; a church endowed with a revenue for the maintenance of divine service. See Advowson. | |
| v. t. | 1. | To endow with a benefice. |
| Noun | 1. | benefice - an endowed church office giving income to its holder Synonyms: ecclesiastical benefice |
| Verb | 1. | benefice - endow with a benefice |
BENEFICE, eccles. law. In its most extended sense, any ecclesiastical preferment or dignity; but in its more limited sense, it is applied only to rectories and vicarages.
beneficiary, donee, dower, ecclesiastical benefice, endow