alms (2009-11-02)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [ahmz]

Definition: Money or other valuables given to charity or the poor.

Usage: If you are looking for a more literary and emphatic turn of phrase than "handout," try today's word: "I'm not asking for alms; I'll pay you back when I get my paycheck." When you need an arresting hyperbole to defend yourself against the children's relentless requests for money, today's word can work for you in many ways: "You'll drive us all to the alms house!"

Suggested Usage: Today's word has an antique aftertaste but it remains a modern speech option. "Almsman" and "almswoman" as alternates for "beggar" are a bit more outmoded, but the base word, "alms," itself is still available for use. Although originally a singular noun, today it is plural: "alms are an expression of charity in both senses of the word."

Etymology: It seems incredible that eleemosynary "charitable" (an eleemosynary institution) and today's word "alms" are descendants of the same word—but they are. Today's word was "almes" in Shakespeare's day, a reduction of Old English "ælmesse," borrowed from French. This word originated as Greek eleemosyne "pity, charity," and was borrowed by Latin as "eleemosyna." French obviously smoothed it down quite a bit after inheriting it from Latin and before lending it to us. The Greek word was the adjective, eleemon "pitiful," of the noun eleos "pity."