char·i·ty   (chār'ĭ-tē)    n.   pl. char·i·ties Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving. Something given to help the needy; alms. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy. Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others. See Synonyms at mercy. often Charity Christianity The theological virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love. [Middle English charite, from Old French, Christian love, from Latin cāritās, affection, from cārus, dear; see kā- in Indo-European roots.]

Charity

Char"i*ty\, n.; pl. Charities. [F. charit['e] fr. L. caritas dearness, high regard, love, from carus dear, costly, loved; asin to Skr. kam to wish, love, cf. Ir. cara a friend, W. caru to love. Cf. Caress.]

1. Love; universal benevolence; good will.

Now abideth faith, hope, charity, three; but the greatest of these is charity. --1. Cor. xiii. 13.

They, at least, are little to be envied, in whose hearts the great charities . . . lie dead. --Ruskin.

With malice towards none, with charity for all. --Lincoln.

2. Liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to put the best construction on the words and actions of others.

The highest exercise of charity is charity towards the uncharitable. --Buckminster.

3. Liberality to the poor and the suffering, to benevolent institutions, or to worthy causes; generosity.

The heathen poet, in commending the charity of Dido to the Trojans, spake like a Christian. --Dryden.

4. Whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the needy or suffering for their relief; alms; any act of kindness.

She did ill then to refuse her a charity. --L'Estrange.

5. A charitable institution, or a gift to create and support such an institution; as, Lady Margaret's charity.

6. pl. (Law) Eleemosynary appointments [grants or devises] including relief of the poor or friendless, education, religious culture, and public institutions.

The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless, Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers. --Wordsworth.

Sisters of Charity (R. C. Ch.), a sisterhood of religious women engaged in works of mercy, esp. in nursing the sick; -- a popular designation. There are various orders of the Sisters of Charity.

Syn: Love; benevolence; good will; affection; tenderness; beneficence; liberality; almsgiving.

charity 

Main Entry: char·i·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: a gift for humanitarian, philanthropic, or other purposes beneficial to the public (as maintaining a public building); also : an institution (as a hospital or school) or organization founded by such a gift —compare PRIVATE FOUNDATION
NOTE: Statutory definitions of what institutions and organizations qualify as charities vary. Organizations that are primarily involved in political campaigns or lobbying do not qualify as charities for tax purposes, but trusts for them may be considered charitable. In addition to tax-exempt status, charities have also generally been granted immunity from tort suits.

CHARITY language
A functional language based purely on category theory by Cockett, Spencer, and Fukushima, 1990-1991.
A version for Sun-4 is available from Tom Fukushima .
["About Charity", J.R.B. Cockett, U. Calgary, Canada, et al].
(2000-10-30)

Charity

(1 Cor. 13), the rendering in the Authorized Version of the word which properly denotes love, and is frequently so rendered (always so in the Revised Version). It is spoken of as the greatest of the three Christian graces (1 Cor. 12:31-13:13).

charity

in Christian thought, the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one's fellow men. St. Paul's classical description of charity is found in the New Testament (I Cor. 13). In Christian theology and ethics, charity (a translation of the Greek word agape, also meaning "love") is most eloquently shown in the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ. St. Augustine summarized much of Christian thought about charity when he wrote: "Charity is a virtue which, when our affections are perfectly ordered, unites us to God, for by it we love him." Using this definition and others from the Christian tradition, the medieval theologians, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, placed charity in the context of the other Christian virtues and specified its role as "the foundation or root" of them all

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