charity

[ char-i-tee ]

/ ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR charity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural char·i·ties.

generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless: to devote one's life to charity.

something given to a person or persons in need; alms: She asked for work, not charity.

a charitable act or work.

a charitable fund, foundation, or institution: He left his estate to a charity.

benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor: She looked so poor that we fed her out of charity.

leniency in judging others; forbearance: She was inclined to view our selfish behavior with charity.

Christian love; agape.

Nearby words

Origin of charity

1125–75; Middle English charite < Old French < Latin cāritāt- (stem of cāritās), equivalent to cār(us) dear (akin to caress, cherish, Kama, whore) + -itāt- -ity

SYNONYMS FOR charity

5 kindliness, consideration, humanity, benignity, sympathy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR charity ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR charity

5 malevolence.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR charity ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formschar·i·ty·less, adjectiveo·ver·char·i·ty, nounpro·char·i·ty, adjective

Definition for charity (2 of 2)

Charity

[ char-i-tee ]

/ ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

a female given name.

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

Examples from the Web for charity

These brave souls took an icy dip in the ocean to ring in 2015 and raise money for charity.
Diving Into 2015 With Polar Bear Plunge Extremists|James Joiner|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Gilkes says the charity auctions Paddle8 does are “extremely important” for this reason.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That side is volunteering extensively in his hometown of Flint, and recently, pastoring Charity United Methodist Church.
A Black Cop’s Tough Words for Mike Brown|Mary M. Chapman|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jack Lundie, Director of Communications for the British charity Oxfam, defended the single to the Daily Beast.
Do They Know It’s Time to Stop Band Aid?|Tom Sykes|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Harry was in Oman for a charity polo match earlier this week, the Sentebale Polo Cup.
Harry Chats With Ginger Spice Geri At F1 In Abu Dhabi|Tom Sykes|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That you have given away in charity must rather tend to brighten up your mind.
The Gtakaml|rya Sra
It was not often that, as in the above instance, my mother's prudence got the better of her charity.
Yankee Gypsies|John Greenleaf Whittier
But it was only Mrs. Davis's footman leaving a note for Leslie about some charity.
The Sport of the Gods|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Overbearing to those he distrusted, irritable among shams, he was charity itself to real merit and to the poor.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
It struck and injured fatally an innocent outsider, who was taken to the Charity Hospital, in the rue Jacob, and died there.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith

British Dictionary definitions for charity

charity

/ (ˈtʃærɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the giving of help, money, food, etc, to those in need
(as modifier)a charity show

an institution or organization set up to provide help, money, etc, to those in need
(as modifier)charity funds

the help, money, etc, given to the needy; alms

a kindly and lenient attitude towards people

love of one's fellow men

Word Origin for charity

C13: from Old French charite, from Latin cāritās affection, love, from cārus dear

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 charity

charity

mid-12c., "benevolence for the poor," from Old French charité "(Christian) charity, mercy, compassion; alms; charitable foundation" (12c., Old North French carité), from Latin caritatem (nominative caritas) "costliness, esteem, affection" (in Vulgate often used as translation of Greek agape "love" -- especially Christian love of fellow man -- perhaps to avoid the sexual suggestion of Latin amor), from carus "dear, valued," from PIE *karo-, from root *ka- "to like, desire" (see whore (n.)).

Vulgate also sometimes translated agape by Latin dilectio, noun of action from diligere "to esteem highly, to love" (see diligence).

Wyclif and the Rhemish version regularly rendered the Vulgate dilectio by 'love,' caritas by 'charity.' But the 16th c. Eng. versions from Tindale to 1611, while rendering agape sometimes 'love,' sometimes 'charity,' did not follow the dilectio and caritas of the Vulgate, but used 'love' more often (about 86 times), confining 'charity' to 26 passages in the Pauline and certain of the Catholic Epistles (not in I John), and the Apocalypse .... In the Revised Version 1881, 'love' has been substituted in all these instances, so that it now stands as the uniform rendering of agape. [OED]

Sense of "charitable foundation or institution" in English attested by 1690s.

charity

noun, plural char·i·ties.

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Nearby words

Origin of charity

Definition for charity (2 of 2)

Charity

noun

Examples from the Web for charity

British Dictionary definitions for charity

charity

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for charity

Word Origin and History for charity

charity