The Spanish verb 'bendecir' (meaning 'to bless') comes from the Latin word 'benedicere', which had the same meaning. The Latin 'benedicere' was formed by combining two elements: 'bene' meaning 'well' or 'good', and 'dicere' meaning 'to say'. So literally, the word meant 'to speak well of' or 'to say good things about', which evolved into the meaning of blessing or consecrating something.

Some related Spanish words include 'bien' (well/good) which comes from the same Latin root 'bene', and 'decir' (to say) which comes from Latin 'dicere'. Understanding these connections can help you remember that 'bendecir' is essentially combining the ideas of 'bien' (well) and 'decir' (to say) to mean 'to bless'.

In English, we have several related words that come from the same Latin roots. 'Benediction' is directly related, meaning 'blessing' or 'prayer of blessing'. We also have 'beneficial' (meaning good or helpful) from Latin 'bene', and 'dictate' or 'dictation' (related to speaking or saying) from Latin 'dicere'. The name 'Benedict' also comes from this Latin word, literally meaning 'blessed'.