alms

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑːmz/ (UK); /ɑmz/, /ɑlmz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English almes,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English ælmesse,^{[2][5][6][3][4]} an early Germanic borrowing (compare Old Saxon alamōsna, German Almosen, Old Norse ǫlmusa) of Vulgar Latin *alemosyna,^[5][6][4] an alteration of Late Latin eleēmosyna,^{[2][5][6][3][4][7]} from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “pity, mercy; charity”),^{[2][5][6][3][4]} from eleḗmōn “compassionate”, from éleos “pity, mercy”.^{[2][5][6][3][4]} The Vulgar Latin form was perhaps influenced by alimōnia “nourishment” (see alimony).^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Old English, charitable relief of the poor, especially as a religious duty (before 810 in Barnhart; before 1000 in the OED).^[5][8][6]

Semantic evolution

The final -s was not originally a plural ending, and people wrote of “an alms” until the mid-16th century.^[7][8] From c. 1375 the word could mean a single charitable gift,^[8] and from 1557 it was treated as a plural, like riches.^[8][4] The full form almes was reduced to alms in the 17th century.^[4] It was also used figuratively of any good deed (c. 1430, obsolete),^[8] and in law of land held in frank almoign and of a portion of an intestate's estate allotted to the poor.^[8]

Timeline

• before 810 – Old English ælmesse.^[5]
• c. 1375 – a charitable gift.^[8]
• c. 1430 – a good deed (obsolete).^[8]
• 1557 – treated as plural.^[8]
• 17th century – reduced to alms.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Money, food or other goods given freely as charity to the poor.
2. (archaic) Charity; the giving of relief to the poor.

Word family

• almsgiver
• almsgiving
• almshouse
• almsman
• almswoman

Related words

• eleemosynary
• almoner
• alimony

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
6. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press