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altruist

 - 2 dictionary results

al⋅tru⋅ist

  [al-troo-ist]
Use altruist in a Sentence
–noun
a person unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others (opposed to egoist ).
Origin:
1865–70; < F altruiste; see altruism, -ist
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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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