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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

al·tru·ism

Audio Help [al-troo-iz-uh

–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

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
altruism

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

al·tru·ism Audio Help (āl'trōō-ĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.
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.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

altruism
noun
the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others [ant: egocentrism]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

altruism Audio Help (āl'tr

-ĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental or without reproductive benefit to the individual but that contributes to the survival of the group to which the individual belongs. The willingness of a subordinate member of a wolf pack to forgo mating and help care for the dominant pair's pups is an example of altruistic behavior. While the individual may not reproduce, or may reproduce less often, its behavior helps ensure that a close relative does successfully reproduce, thus passing on a large share of the altruistic individual's genetic material.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
altruism [(al-trooh-iz-uhm)]

A selfless concern for others.

[Chapter:] Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Altruism

Al"tru*ism\, n. [F. altruisme (a word of Comte's), It. altrui of or to others, fr. L. alter another.] Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; -- opposed to egoism or selfishness. [Recent] --J. S. Mill.

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