"Inexorable, irresistible, benignant" - Winston Churchill on the United States and Great Britain

"This process means that these two great organizations of the English-speaking democracies, the British Empire and the United Sates, will have to be somewhat mixed up together in some of their affairs for mutual and general advantage. For my own part, looking out upon the future, I do not view the process with any misgivings. I could not stop it if I wished; no one can stop it. Like the Mississippi, it just keeps rolling along. Let it roll on full flood, inexorable, irresistible, benignant, to broader lands and better days."

This was the closing of Churchill's tribute to "The Few" in his Commons speech of 20 August 1940.

I'm told that the famous quote:

"We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"

Contains all Anglo-Saxon words. Good, earthy, simple old Anglo-Saxon words. Churchill spoke directly to the people in language that they understood effortlessly. Much like George W. Bush.

Oh, the only exception in that Churchill quote is the last word: "surrender" is a word that comes from the French language (really!)

I had to look up benignant

3 entries found for benignant.
be·nig·nant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (b-ngnnt)
adj.
Favorable; beneficial.
Kind and gracious.

be·nignant·ly adv.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
[Buy it]

benignant

\Be*nig"nant\, a. [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L. benignus. See Benign.] Kind; gracious; favorable. -- Be*nig\"nant*ly, adv.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

benignant

adj 1: pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence; "a benign smile"; "the benign sky"; "the benign influence of pure air [syn: benign] [ant: malign] 2: characterized by kindness and warm courtesy especially of a king to his subjects; "our benignant king" [syn: gracious]

Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

From the complete OED on CD-ROM (I bet this is what WSC used; although not this edition of course):

benignant, a.

[A recent formation on benign, or L. benignus, after malignant, which is of much earlier standing, and has a Latin prototype. Not in Johnson; nor in Bailey 1800, though freely used by Burke and Boswell in 1791.]

1. Cherishing or exhibiting kindly feeling towards inferiors or dependants; gracious, benevolent (with some suggestion of condescension or patronage).

a1782 Maiden's Wish in Ritson Coll. Eng. Songs I. iv. 20 (T.) Defend my heart, benignant Power. 1791 Burke Let. Memb. Nat. Assembly Wks. VI. 45 The king+was+the very reverse of your benignant sovereign. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede 2 His glance, instead of being keen, is confiding and benignant. 1875 Browning Aristoph. Apol. 119 Theirs would be To prove benignantest of playfellows.

2. transf. a. Of things: Exerting a good or kindly influence; favourable, beneficial, salutary.

1790 Boswell Johnson IV. 314 (T.) As if its [Christianity's] influence on the mind were not benignant. 1798 Southey Sonn. xiii. Wks. II. 96 For like a God thou [O Sun] art, and on thy way Of glory sheddest with benignant ray, Beauty, and life, and joyance from above. 1844 Mem. Babylonian P'cess II. 183 Our destiny is settled in this world by the benignant or malignant character of our natal star.

b. Of a disease: not malignant or recurrent; = benign a. 5b.

1897 [see siphoned a. 2]. 1932 Discovery Dec. 376/2 Similar rays+are given out+by cancerous growths, but not by so-called ‘benignant’

"Contains all Anglo-Saxon words. Good, earthy, simple old Anglo-Saxon words"

Much like Lincoln in fact. I don't think the Gettysburg Address contains any word with more than two syallables. Therein lies much of the power of course.

Of great importance is the fact that they also actually wrote their own speeches. There is always something not quite authentic about a vocal amanuensis. A lack of conviction and power is always apparent. This is something that no amount of acting talent can cover up.

And the one indespensible element is genius. Genius is what really marks out men such as Churchill and Lincoln.

Oh, the only exception in that Churchill quote is the last word: "surrender" is a word that comes from the French language (really!)

Right on.

[Middle English surrenderen, from Old French surrendre : sur-, sur- + rendre, to deliver; see render.]

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