Bonum

Bonum is a Latin word with multiple related senses centered on the idea of goodness. As an adjective, it is the neuter singular form of bonus, with the full paradigm bonus (masc), bona (fem), bonum (neut). It is used to describe things as good, though in practice the noun form and other gendered adjectives are more common in classical texts. As a noun, bonum can be used substantively to mean “the good” or “a good thing.” The genitive plural bonorum appears in phrases such as bonorum possessiones, meaning “goods” or “estates.”

In classical and later Latin, bonum frequently appears in ethical, rhetorical, and philosophical contexts, often in contrast to malum (“evil” or “harm”). It functions both as a reference to moral value and as a practical good or benefit. Philosophical usage expands the term into discussions of value, end, and purpose, especially in debates about intrinsic versus instrumental goods and the nature of happiness.

A prominent concept is summum bonum, the highest or ultimate good that ends all action. In Roman and medieval thought, the summum bonum is debated as the goal of life, with various traditions identifying it as virtue, happiness, God, or the harmonious fulfilment of natural ends. The term also appears in discussions of the common good (bonum commune) and in legal and political language where bonum can denote goods or property (notably in the plural bonorum).

Etymologically, bonum stems from Latin bonus “good,” with cognates in Romance languages (Italian buono, Spanish bueno) and the English loanword bonus. Bonum thus functions as a foundational term in discussions of value across Latin literature and philosophy.