largesse

or lar·gess

[ lahr-jes, lahr-jis ]
See synonyms for: largesselargesses on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. generous bestowal of gifts: Corporate sponsors can keep entire festivals and arenas alive with their largesse, so they need to be strategic about their giving.

  2. a generous gift or gifts, such as of money: With the largesse received from these donors, the hospital has been able to purchase two new MRI machines.

  1. generosity; liberality: He's a man of remarkable largesse of mind, heart, and soul.

Origin of largesse

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English largesse, from Old French; cf. large, -ice

Words that may be confused with largesse

Words Nearby largesse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use largesse in a sentence

  • At last, with the aid of an extravagant largesse, she was conducted to her staterooms.

    The Ghost Breaker | Charles Goddard
  • The least decrepit of the beggars, armed with Helen's largesse of copper coin, had joined them from beneath the portico.

  • The small, bullet-headed man had just paid his extravagant bill, distributed his largesse, and was about to depart.

    The Book of Susan | Lee Wilson Dodd
  • To his companions he gave gifts with such largesse, that his horse and armour were all that at any time he called his own.

    Val d'Arno | John Ruskin
  • Varney gave his largesse with an affectation of complaisance and humility.

    Kenilworth | Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for largesse

largesse

largess

/ (lɑːˈdʒɛs) /


noun
  1. the generous bestowal of gifts, favours, or money

  2. the things so bestowed

  1. generosity of spirit or attitude

Origin of largesse

1
C13: from Old French, from large

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