alms

English

Etymology

From Old English ælmesse, from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosynē, “alms”), from ἐλεέω (eleëō, “I have mercy”), from ἔλεος (eleos, “mercy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɑːmz/, X-SAMPA: /A:mz/
• (US) IPA: /ɑmz/, /ɑlmz/, X-SAMPA: /Amz/, /Almz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːmz

Noun

alms (plural alms)

1. Something given to the poor as charity, such as money, clothing or food.

   She gave $10 weekly to the poor as alms.

   Alms are distributed from the weekly collection for the purpose.

   • c. 1779, Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints

     St. Antoninus never refused an alms which was asked in the name of God.

Related terms

• eleemosynary

Translations

something given to the poor as charity

• Ancient Greek: ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosynē) f
• Arabic: صدقة (ar) (Sádaqa) f
• Bulgarian: милостиня (bg) (milóstinja) f
• Catalan: almoina (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 施捨 (cmn), 施舍 (cmn) (shīshě), 施捨物 (cmn), 施舍物 (cmn) (shīshěwù), 救濟金 (cmn), 救济金 (cmn) (jiùjìjīn)

• Czech: almužna (cs) f
• Dutch: aalmoes (nl)
• Esperanto: almozo (eo)
• Finnish: almu (fi)
• French: aumône (fr) f
• German: Almosen (de)
• Hindi: दान (hi) (dān)

• Hungarian: alamizsna (hu)
• Icelandic: ölmusa (is) f
• Italian: elemosina (it) f
• Japanese: 施し物 (ja) (ほどこしもの, hodokoshi-mono), 施し (ja) (ほどこし, hodokoshi)
• Macedonian: милостиња (mk) (milóstinja) f
• Pali: bhikkhā (pi) f (specifically food given as alms)
• Persian: صدقه (fa)
• Polish: jałmużna (pl) f
• Portuguese: esmola (pt) f
• Russian: милостыня (ru) (mílostynja) f, подаяние (ru) (podajánije) n
• Serbian: milostinja
• Spanish: limosna (es) f, caridad (es) f
• Turkish: sadaka (tr)
• Vietnamese: của bố thí (vi)

Anagrams

• AMSL, lams, mals, slam

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Swedish

Noun

alms

1. indefinite genitive singular of alm