almshouse

[ ahmz-hous ]

/ ˈɑmzˌhaʊs /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of almshouse

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for almshouse

It supported a grammar school, an almshouse for thirty-two poor people, and bestowed liberal gifts on the poor.
Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England|Edward L. Cutts
No, he's going to start a roadhouse out on the almshouse drive in a few months; swell place, you know.
Vandover and the Brute|Frank Norris
The mother and father, at one time inmates of the almshouse, are now supported by the town.
Abstracts of Papers Read at the First International Eugenics Congress|Various
Of 188 persons who have been inmates of the Almshouse, none have been natives, and no foreigners except Irish.
Americanism Contrasted with Foreignism, Romanism, and Bogus Democracy in the Light of Reason, History, and Scripture;|William Gannaway Brownlow

Of course she mustn't go into an almshouse if she is rich; but she doesn't look rich.
The Rebel of the School|Mrs. L. T. Meade

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

Word Origin and History for almshouse

almshouse

mid-15c., from alms + house (n.).