*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of alms

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἔλεος (éleos) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Ind

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

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

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἔλεος (éleos) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek ἐλεέω (eleéō) Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ Ancient Greek -μων (-mōn) Ancient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn) Ancient Greek -συνος (-sunos) Ancient Greek -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē) Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē)bor. Late Latin eleēmosyna Vulgar Latin *alēmosynabor. Proto-West Germanic *alemōsinā Old English ælmesse Middle English almesse English alms From Middle English almes, almesse, ælmesse, from Old English ælmesse, from Proto-West Germanic *alemōsinā, a borrowing from Vulgar Latin *alemosyna, from Late Latin eleēmosyna, from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”), from ἐλεέω (eleéō, “to have mercy”), from ἔλεος (éleos, “mercy”). Compare Saterland Frisian Aalmoose (“alms”), Dutch aalmoes (“alms”), German Almosen (“alms”), Catalan almoina (“alms”), Portuguese esmola (“alms”), Galician esmola (“alms”), Spanish limosna (“alms”), French aumône (“alms”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:almesse<id:alms>",
        "id": "gift",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nAncient Greek ἔλεος (éleos)\nProto-Indo-European *-eti\nProto-Indo-European *-eyéti\nProto-Indo-European *-esyéti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nAncient Greek -έω (-éō)\nAncient Greek ἐλεέω (eleéō)\nProto-Indo-European *-mṓ\nAncient Greek -μων (-mōn)\nAncient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn)\nAncient Greek -συνος (-sunos)\nAncient Greek -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē)\nAncient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē)bor.\nLate Latin eleēmosyna\nVulgar Latin *alēmosynabor.\nProto-West Germanic *alemōsinā\nOld English ælmesse\nMiddle English almesse\nEnglish alms\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"alms\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"alms\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"alms\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"merciful\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"show mercy\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"mercy\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἔλεος\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"thematic present\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"denominative\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eyéti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"denominative\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-esyéti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"verb\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₁ti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₁yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"causative suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"forming verbs\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"ine-pro\", \"id\" : \"forming verbs\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éyeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-έω\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἐλεέω\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"id\" : \"agentive suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"agentive suffix\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-mṓ\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-μων\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἐλεήμων\", \"gloss\" : \"pitiful, merciful\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"id\" : \"abstract nouns\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-συνος\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-σῠ́νη\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἐλεημοσύνη\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Late Latin\", \"term\" : \"eleēmosyna\", \"lang\" : \"la-lat\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Vulgar Latin\", \"term\" : \"*alēmosyna\", \"lang\" : \"la-vul\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*alemōsinā\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"ælmesse\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"almesse\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"alms\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"gift\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"alms\" id=\"English:_gift\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "almes"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English almes"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ælmesse"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ælmesse"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*alemōsinā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *alemōsinā"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-vul",
        "3": "*alemosyna"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin *alemosyna"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "eleēmosyna"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin eleēmosyna"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ἐλεημοσύνη",
        "4": "",
        "5": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Aalmoose",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Aalmoose (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "aalmoes",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch aalmoes (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Almosen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "German Almosen (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ca",
        "2": "almoina",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Catalan almoina (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "esmola",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese esmola (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gl",
        "2": "esmola",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Galician esmola (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "limosna",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish limosna (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "aumône",
        "3": "",
        "4": "alms"
      },
      "expansion": "French aumône (“alms”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:almesse<id:alms>",
        "id": "gift",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nAncient Greek ἔλεος (éleos)\nProto-Indo-European *-eti\nProto-Indo-European *-eyéti\nProto-Indo-European *-esyéti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nAncient Greek -έω (-éō)\nAncient Greek ἐλεέω (eleéō)\nProto-Indo-European *-mṓ\nAncient Greek -μων (-mōn)\nAncient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn)\nAncient Greek -συνος (-sunos)\nAncient Greek -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē)\nAncient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē)bor.\nLate Latin eleēmosyna\nVulgar Latin *alēmosynabor.\nProto-West Germanic *alemōsinā\nOld English ælmesse\nMiddle English almesse\nEnglish alms"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ἔλεος",
      "ἔλεος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*-eti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eti#Proto-Indo-European:_thematic_present"
    ],
    [
      "*-eyéti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eyéti#Proto-Indo-European:_denominative"
    ],
    [
      "*-esyéti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-esyéti#Proto-Indo-European:_denominative"
    ],
    [
      "*-éh₁ti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₁ti"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti"
    ],
    [
      "*-éh₁yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₁yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_verb"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-éyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti#Proto-Indo-European:_causative_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-έω",
      "-έω#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ἐλεέω",
      "ἐλεέω#Ancient_Greek:_show_mercy"
    ],
    [
      "*-mṓ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-mṓ#Proto-Indo-European:_agentive_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-μων",
      "-μων#Ancient_Greek:_agentive_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "ἐλεήμων",
      "ἐλεήμων#Ancient_Greek:_merciful"
    ],
    [
      "-συνος",
      "-συνος#Ancient_Greek:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-σῠ́νη",
      "-σύνη#Ancient_Greek:_abstract_nouns"
    ],
    [
      "ἐλεημοσύνη",
      "ἐλεημοσύνη#Ancient_Greek:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "eleēmosyna",
      "eleemosyna#Latin:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "*alēmosyna",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/alemosyna#Latin:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "*alemōsinā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/alemōsinā#Proto-West_Germanic:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "ælmesse",
      "ælmesse#Old_English:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "almesse",
      "almesse#Middle_English:_alms"
    ],
    [
      "almes",
      "almes#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "almesse",
      "almesse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ælmesse",
      "ælmesse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ælmesse",
      "ælmesse#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*alemōsinā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/alemōsinā"
    ],
    [
      "*alemosyna",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/alemosyna"
    ],
    [
      "eleēmosyna",
      "eleemosyna#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ἐλεημοσύνη",
      "ἐλεημοσύνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ἐλεέω",
      "ἐλεέω#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ἔλεος",
      "ἔλεος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "Aalmoose",
      "Aalmoose#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "aalmoes",
      "aalmoes#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Almosen",
      "Almosen#German"
    ],
    [
      "almoina",
      "almoina#Catalan"
    ],
    [
      "esmola",
      "esmola#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "esmola",
      "esmola#Galician"
    ],
    [
      "limosna",
      "limosna#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "aumône",
      "aumône#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Gullah",
      "lang_code": "gul",
      "word": "aa'ms"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Something given to the poor as charity, such as money, clothing or food."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "438cbe2ba9e88cd4544f1872cba3fbd23cc9424303cf5d47e7f660345d905729",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c46576a91455cb147affe23a021124e8028ce51419bccebf330931ae4a1034ae",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 243885
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for alms →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWxtcw