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boon

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic term for a favor, benefit, or welcome gift, often granted generously; it can also mean a thing for which one is thankful.

Detailed Definition
Boon is an older poetic word for something given as a blessing or advantage. Shelley uses it ironically here, where love is treated as a “worthless boon,” meaning a gift that is rejected or proves useless.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Cast, like a worthless boon, thy love away” uses boon for a gift or favour; the rain was a boon to fields cracked by drought; freedom becomes a hard-won boon in a political lyric; “no boon,” she says, “can repay the kindness of your staying”
Additional Notes
The word “boon” in the quoted line is an archaic literary term for a gift or favor, which is less common in modern usage.; Found in the poem, O! there are spirits of the air by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Also Known As
blessing benefit favor
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