alms

[ ahmz ]
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noun(used with a singular or plural verb)
  1. money, food, or other donations given to people in need; anything given as charity: She showed her generosity by giving alms regularly.

Origin of alms

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English almes, almesse, Old English ælmesse (compare Old Saxon alamōsna, Old High German alamuosa, Dutch aalmoes; Old Spanish almosna ), ultimately derived from Late Latin eleēmosyna, from Greek eleēmosýnē “compassion, alms,” derivative of éleos “pity”; see eleemosynary

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

How to use alms in a sentence

  • The surplus was distributed in alms amongst the poor, a duty strenuously prescribed by their moral code.

  • In point of fact, prayers are spoken of as if they were equivalent to sacrifice, alms-giving, or any other supposed virtue.

British Dictionary definitions for alms

alms

/ (ɑːmz) /


pl n
  1. charitable donations of money or goods to the poor or needy

Origin of alms

1
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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012