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altruism

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al⋅tru⋅ism

  [al-troo-iz-uhm]
Use altruism in a Sentence
–noun
1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism ).
2. Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.
Origin:
1850–55; < F altruisme, equiv. to autru(i) others (< VL *alterui, obl. form of L alter other (> F autre), with -ui from cui to whom; -l- restored from L alter) + -isme -ism; popularized through trans. of A. Comte, who perh. coined it, on the model of égoisme egoism
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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al·tru·ism   (āl'trōō-ĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.

  2. Zoology Instinctive behavior that is detrimental to the individual but favors the survival or spread of that individual's genes, as by benefiting its relatives.


[French altruisme, probably from Italian altrui, someone else, from Latin alter, other; see al-1 in Indo-European roots.]
al'tru·ist n., al'tru·is'tic adj., al'tru·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

altruism [(al-trooh-iz-uhm)]

A selfless concern for others.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

altruism 
1853, "unselfishness, opposite of egoism," from Fr. altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by Fr. philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), from autrui, from O.Fr. altrui "of or to others," from L. alteri, dat. of alter "other" (see alter). Apparently suggested to Comte by Fr. legal phrase l'autrui, or in full, le bien, le droit d'autrui. The -l- is perhaps from the L. word.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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