bŏnĭtas, ātis, f. [bonus], the good quality of a thing, goodness, excellence (cf. Caes. B. G. 1, 28 Herz.; class., but mostly in prose).
I Of concrete objects: bonitas praediorum, Cic. Rosc. Am. 7, 20: agrorum, id. Agr. 2, 16, 41; Caes. B. G. 1, 28: agri aut oppidi, Cic. Agr. 2, 28, 76: praediorum, id. Rosc. Am. 7, 20; Dig. 50, 16, 86: terrae, Lucr. 5, 1247: soli, Quint. 2, 19, 2: aquae, Phaedr. 4, 9, 8: vini, Plin. 14, 4, 6, § 55: arboris, id. 13, 9, 17, § 61: gemmarum, id. 37, 8, 37, § 116 al.: vocis, Cic. Or. 18, 59: verborum, id. ib. 49, 164: mutuum eādem bonitate solvatur quā datum est, Dig. 12, 1, 3: secunda bonitas (amomi), the second quality , Plin. 12, 13, 28, § 48; Dig. 45, 1, 75, § 2.—
II Of abstract objects: ingenii, Cic. Off. 3, 3, 14: causae, id. Dom. 22, 57: naturae, id. Off. 1, 32, 118: sapientiae, Quint. 5, 10, 75. —
B Esp. freq. of character, good , honest , or friendly conduct; goodness , virtue , integrity , blamelessness : neque ego nunc de illius bonitate, sed de generi impudentiā disputo, Cic. Agr. 3, 3, 13: rustici cum fidem alicujus bonitatemque laudant, dignum esse dicunt, quīcum in tenebris mices, id. Off. 3, 19, 77: quae tuae fidei, justitiae bonitatique commendo, id. Fam. 13, 4, 3; id. N. D. 3, 30, 75: si recte vestram bonitatem atque prudentiam cognovi, id. Quint. 17, 54: nec justitiae ullus esset nec bonitati locus, id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: perennis, Ov. Tr. 4, 5, 27: eam potestatem bonitate retinebat, integrity , Nep. Milt. 8, 3; so id. Timo l. 5, 1.—
2 Kindness , friendliness , benevolence , benignity , affability : perpetua naturalis bonitas ( kind-heartedness , benevolence ), quae nullis casibus neque agitur, neque minuitur, Nep. Att. 9, 1: te oro per mei te erga bonitatem patris, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 54; Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 60: bonitas et beneficentia, id. ib. 1, 43, 121; 3, 34, 84: homo liberalis et dissolutus et bonitate affluens, id. Rosc. Com. 10, 27: utrumque incredibile est, et Roscium quicquam per avaritiam appetisse, et Fannium quicquam per bonitatem amisisse, id. ib. 7, 21: multas hereditates nullā aliā re quam bonitate consecutus est, Nep. Att. 21, 1: bonitas, humanitas, misericordia, Quint. 5, 1, 22; Tac. H. 1, 52. —
3 Esp., parental love , tenderness : quid dicam... de bonitate in suos, Cic. Lael. 3, 11: facit parentes bonitas, non necessitas, Phaedr. 3, 15, 18.