alms
[ahmz]
- money, food, or other donations given to the poor or needy; anything given as charity: The hands of the beggars were outstretched for alms.
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Origin of alms
before 1000; Middle English almes, almesse, Old English ælmesse (compare Old Saxon alamōsna, Old High German alamuosa, Dutch aalmoes; Old Spanish almosna) ≪ Late Latin eleēmosyna < Greek eleēmosýnē compassion, alms, derivative of éleos pity. See eleemosynary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for alms
Contemporary Examples
Another piece might cause people to come up short is an elaborate green Burmese Buddhist alms bowl on a stand covered in gold.
Historical Examples
She was not a conqueror of nations or a distributor of crowns, but a giver of alms.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. IIFrancis Augustus Cox
He was in rags, and carried the usual beggar's wallet for food or alms.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
You are not paying for it, my child; you are only contributing some alms to the Church.
The Book of KhalidAmeen Rihani
Aye, aye, it's easy to steal the goose and give the giblets in alms.
The ChristianHall Caine
Then they wished to know if alms should be given in his name?
The Phantom WorldAugustin Calmet
alms
- charitable donations of money or goods to the poor or needy
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Word Origin
Old English ælmysse, from Late Latin eleēmosyna, from Greek eleēmosunē pity; see eleemosynary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for alms
n.
Old English ælmesse "alms, almsgiving," from Proto-Germanic *alemosna (cf. Old Saxon alamosna, Old High German alamuosan, Old Norse ölmusa), an early borrowing of Vulgar Latin *alemosyna (source of Old Spanish almosna, Old French almosne, Italian limosina), from Church Latin eleemosyna (Tertullian, 3c.), from Greek eleemosyne "pity, mercy," in Ecclesiastical Greek "charity, alms," from eleemon "compassionate," from eleos "pity, mercy," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative of cries for alms. Spelling perversion in Vulgar Latin is perhaps by influence of alimonia.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper