bounties

Noun

bounty (countable and uncountable, plural bounties)

1. (uncountable) Generosity; also (countable) an act of generosity.
   • [H]is [Henry I, Duke of Guise's] gifts, though conferred for the interest of his ambition, appeared always scattered with an easy bounty.1819, “[The Appendix to the Eighty-eighth Volume of the Monthly Review, Enlarged.] Art. XI. Histoire de France, &c.; i.e. A History of France during the Wars of Religion; by Charles Lacretelle, […]...

   Synonyms:

   liberality, munificence, bounteousness, bountihood

   Antonyms:

   frugality, parsimony, sparingness, stinginess

2. (countable) Something given liberally; a gift.
   • [...] We have given and granted, and by theſe Preſents for Us, Our Heirs, and Succeſſors, do give and grant unto the ſaid Governors of the Bounty of Queen ANNE, for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the poor Clergy, hereby conſtituted, and their Succeſſors, all the Revenues of Firſt Fruits and...1704 November 3, “The Charters of the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne, and the Rules Appointed under the Great Seal, for the Better Rule and Government of the said Corporation”, in The Return...

   Synonyms:

   boon, gratuity

3. (countable) A reward for some specific act, especially one given by an authority or a government.
   • Let us therefore conſider ſeparately the encouraging of exportation of corn by bounties, the allowing it to be exported without any bounty, and the prohibiting it to be exported at all in certain caſes— [...] It is not for the ſake of the farmer, but for the good of the nation at large, that this...1792, George Skene Keith, “The Principles, by which All Corn Laws ought to be Regulated”, in Tracts on the Corn Laws of Great Britain, […], [Aberdeen?]: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 3
   1. (specifically) A monetary reward for capturing (or, in the past, killing) a person accused or convicted of a crime and who is at large; also, a similar reward for capturing or killing an animal which is dangerous or causing a nuisance.
      • Whatever may be said in favor of bounties on the larger beasts of prey, those on hawks, owls, and the smaller fur-bearing animals can not be justified. Payments of this sort should cease, and laws should be enacted to protect species which careful investigations have shown to be mainly beneficial....1910, David E. Lantz, “Natural Enemies of the Rat”, in The Rat and Its Relation to Public Health (Public Health Bulletin; no. 30), Washington, D.C.: Public Health and Marine-hospital Service of the...
   2. (historical) Money paid to a person when becoming a member of the armed forces, or as a reward for some service therein.
      • It was in the army to which bounties were thus given to privates, that the memorialists were officers; and gallant officers the history of that war amply proves they were. If the soldiers of that army and even the heirs of those who volunteered their services for a given and short period, but who...1831 March 1, “[Appendix to the Register of Debates in Congress.] Lands to Officers in the Late War.”, in Register of Debates in Congress, Comprising the Leading Debates and Incidents of the Second...
4. (countable, figuratively) An abundance or wealth.
   • The bounty of Texas consists of a state full of rich living and traditions, stretching centuries back to the Indians, through the Spanish, Mexicans, and Anglos, to all the many nationalities that moved in and then spread out through Texas and the Southwest.1990, Francis Edward Abernethy, “Preface: In which the Editor Discusses the Personal Legend as Part of Folklore and Sneaks in One of His Own”, in Francis Edward Abernethy, editor, The Bounty of Texas...

See all 7 meanings of bounty