almshouse

[ ahmz-hous ]

/ ˈɑmzˌhaʊs /

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noun, plural alms·hous·es

[ahmz-hou-ziz]. /ˈɑmzˌhaʊ zɪz/. Chiefly British.

a house endowed by private charity for the reception and support of the aged or infirm poor.

(formerly) a poorhouse.

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Origin of almshouse

First recorded in 1350–1400, almshouse is from Middle English almes hous. See alms, house

Words nearby almshouse

almost periodic function, almous, alms, almsgiver, almsgiving, almshouse, almsman, almswoman, almucantar, almuce, almug

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use almshouse in a sentence

I discovered that the cul-de-sac at the end of my road was originally built for a square of almshouses — charitable residences, often funded by church coffers — to alleviate the scandalous poverty of pre-welfare-state Britain.
In London, looking backward to move forward|Henry Wismayer|March 5, 2021|Washington Post
Elizabeth studied privately with a physician before medical school and between terms observed cases in an almshouse hospital.
Determined to practice medicine, two sisters defied conventions|Janet Golden|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
With almost 1,200 patients, Laguna Honda Hospital was originally the San Francisco Almshouse, and in a way it still is.
Obamacare’s Overambition: Dr. Victoria Sweet Reads the Law|Victoria Sweet|April 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Every county had a free county hospital for the acutely ill, and a free county almshouse for everyone else who needed care.
Obamacare’s Overambition: Dr. Victoria Sweet Reads the Law|Victoria Sweet|April 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Once at the wish of a friend I was visiting I went to carry some comforts to a neglected almshouse on a Western prairie.
Girls and Women|Harriet E. Paine (AKA E. Chester}
The poor little dying pauper, lying in her dream at the almshouse, sees the figure of Death.
Questionable Shapes|William Dean Howells
The most remarkable things that appear here at this day are a mosque, and an almshouse just by it, both built by sultan Ibrahim.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.
A Hamblyn was still a Hamblyn, though he lived in an almshouse.
The Squire's Daughter|Silas K(itto) Hocking
I forgot to mention services held in jail and almshouse while in Canon City.
Prisons and Prayer: Or a Labor of Love|Elizabeth Ryder Wheaton

British Dictionary definitions for almshouse

almshouse

/ (ˈɑːmzˌhaʊs) /

noun

British history a privately supported house offering accommodation to the aged or needy

mainly British another name for poorhouse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012