Forms: 1 ælmysse, 1–3 ælmesse (2–3 ælmisse, elmisse, 2–4 elmesse), 2–6 almesse (2–4 almisse, 4 alemesse, allmesse, 5 almese), 2–7 almes (2 elmes, 3 almys, 4 almis, 5 elmys, 6 allmes), 7–9 alms. Pl. wanting; formerly 4–6 almessis, almesses; since 7 the sing. alms has also been used as pl. [OE. ælmysse, obl. cases ælmyssan, cogn. w. ON. almusa (Dan. almisse, Sw. almosa), Fris. ielmisse, OS. alamósna, OHG. alamuosan (MHG. almuosen, mod.G. almosen), pointing to a com. OTeut. *alemosna or *alemosina, a. pop. L. *alimosina (whence Pr. and OSp. almosna, OFr. almosne, It. limosina), a perversion (due perhaps to sense-association with alimōnia) of elimosina, elemosina, orig. eleēmosyna (Tertull., 3rd c.) ad. Gr. ἐλεημοσύνη compassionateness (n. of qual. f. ἐλεήμων compassionate, f. ἔλεος compassion, mercy).
The final -n, in OE. was early treated as inflexional, and disappeared from the nom.; in recent times the finals -s of the reduced form almes, alms, has also been treated as a plural inflexion. For the y in OE. ælmyssan from *alimosina, cf. mynet, mylen, repres. Lat. moneta, molina. In ME. the s.e. dialects long retained forms with initial e, elmesse, elmes. Distinct by-forms are the northern ALMOUS, awmous, an independent adoption of Norse almusa; the 16th century literary ALMOSE, almoyse; and the legal ALMOIGN, almone, from AFr.]
1. Charitable relief of the poor; charity; originally and especially as a religious duty, or good work; const. with do, make, work. Afterwards applied especially to the material substance of the relief, and const. with give, bestow, etc.
a. abstract. or collect. without plural.
a. 1000. ? Cædmon, Dan., 587 (Gr.). Syle ælmyssan.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. vi. 2. Þonne þu þine ælmessan dó.
c. 1160. Hatton G., ibid. Þanne þu þine ælmesse do.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 23. Hu miht þu don þine elmesse. Ibid., 137. Al ðe almisse þe mon deð.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 29 Þenne þu almesse makest. Ibid., 131. Ure gode dedes, on elmes, and on oðre þinge. Ibid., 157. On oðer wise man silleð his almes.
1250. Grosteste, in Dom. Arch., III. 82. That youre almys be kepyd … to poure men.
1297. R. Glouc., 330 He was … of hys almesse large & fre.
1340. Ayenb., 17. Prede makeþ of elmesse zenne.
1366. Maundev., xviii. 199. To gadre hem precyous Stones and Perles, be weye of Alemesse.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man of Lawes T., 70. Hir hond mynistre of fredom and almesse.
c. 1400. Apol. for Loll., 111. Wil þu not do almis of oker & vsur; þat is, do not swilk defautis to do almis þerof.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom. (1879), 17. Tythes and oblacions, and othere almese.
c. 1469. Ebesham, in Past. Lett., 596, II. 333. Sende me for almes oon of your olde gownes.
1581. Marbeck, Bk. Notes, 27. This word Almes, importeth as much as mercie.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1312/2. The distributors of this almesse to the poore.
1666. Pepys, Diary (1879), IV. 189. To be buried at the Almes of the parish.
1790. Cowper, Odyss., XVIII. 2. A public mendicant … seeking alms.
1816. J. Wilson, City of Plague, I. i. 202. Do you pity me? Then give me alms.
b. As sing. (with pl. obs. since 16th c.) A charitable donation, a gift of charity, a benefaction.
c. 1375. Wyclif, Anticrist, 131. Crist’s almes … was encresed to twelve lepful.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XV. 306. Þat Freres · wolde forsake hir almesses.
1382. Wyclif, Acts x. 2. Doynge manye almessis to the peple.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 550 bis, If religiose persoones … receyve myche and grete Almessis.
1535. Coverdale, Acts iii. 3. He desyred to receaue an almesse [1611 asked an almes].
1541. Barnes, Wks., 1573, 274/1. Our eatyng, our drynkyng, our almesses, our prayers.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 269, ¶ 4. A Beggar Man that had asked an Alms of him.
1848. Kingsley, Saint’s Trag., II. viii. 59. Every alms is a fresh badge of slavery.
c. as pl. [from the collective sense, assisted by treating the final -s as a pl. inflection, as in riches.] Things given in charity.
1557. N. T. (Geneva), Acts x. 4. Thy prayers and thy almes are come vp into remembrance [Gr. ἐλεημοσύναι, Wycl. almes-dedis, Tind. almeses, Coverd. allmesses, Cranm. almeses, Rhem. almes-deedes, 1611 almes. But cf. v. 2 ἐλεημοσύνας πολλὰς, Wycl. many almessis, Tind. moche almes, Coverd. moch almesse, Cranm. moch almes, Gen. much almes, Rhem. many almes-deedes, 1611 much almes; so that in v. 4. it may likewise be sing. notwithstanding the Gr.]
1647. Bp. Corbet, Poems (1807), 122. His alms were such as Paul defines.
1686. Dryden, Hind & P., III. 106. For alms are but the vehicles of prayer.
1865. Pall Mall G., 2 May, 3/2. The Alms are thus given by himself to himself.
† 2. fig. A meritorious action, a good deed, a service to God, a charity. Often ironically. Obs.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas (1544), Prol. 30. It is almes to correcten and amend The vicious folke.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froissart, I. ccxcv. 437. It is a great almesse to confort maydens in their distresse.
1528. More, Heresyes, I. Wks. 1557, 137/1. It had ben great almes the priour, & shee had ben burned togyther.
1577. Test. 12 Patriarchs, 143. It were more alms to let him go, and to beat you.
1623. Sanderson, 35 Serm., Wks. 1681, I. 87. If he be hungry, it is alms to feed him; but if he be idle and untoward, it is alms to whip him.
3. Law. a. Tenure by alms, see ALMOIGN; free alms = frank almoign. b. Reasonable alms: a portion of the estate of an intestate allotted to the poor.
1530. Proper Dyaloge (1863), 25. And over thys that saye more suttelly that they occupye not this by tytle of secular lordshyppe but by tytle of perpetuall allmes.
1726. Ayliffe, Parergon, 11. Frank-Almoigne is the same which we call … Free Alms in English.
4. Comb., a. general: with alms in objective relation to a pr. pple. or as obj. gen. to n. of action or agent, as alms-giving (pple.), alms-giver, -giving (sb.); in instrumental relation to a pa. pple., as alms-clothed, -fed; and in attributive relations, of material, as alms-bread, -money; of purpose (for giving or receiving), as alms-basin, -bowl, -box, -chest, -gate, -purse; of causal connection (giving or receiving), as alms-body, -folk, -man, -people, -priest, -woman.
1879. O’Connor, Beaconsfield, 220. An almsgiving Church.
a. 1631. Donne, Serm., xxxvii. 365. A liberall Almsgiver sends to persons that never know who sends.
1690. J. Norris, Pract. Disc., IV. 302. To prove to them that Almes-giving is a Duty.
1764. Burn, Hist. Poor Laws, 205. Almsgiving, among the vulgar, hath engrossed the name of charity.
1670. G. H., Hist. Cardinals, II. I. 111. Twenty thousand Crowns out of the Alms-money. Ibid., 107. They break open the Alms-box.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., The erecting of such alms-chest in every church, is enjoined by the book of canons.
1611. Tarleton’s Jests (N.). Tarlton called Burley-house gate … the lord treasurers almes-gate, because it was seldom or never opened.
1530. Palsgr., 194/1. Almes purse, bovrse avlmosnieres.
1659. Burroughs, Beatitudes (1867), 12. A poor godly alms-body.
1587. Holinshed, Chron., III. 830/1. He founded a faire large almes-house for an almose priest or schoolemaister, and thirteene poore almes folke.
c. 1490. Reg. Civ. Ebor., 366 a. The said almus women be fully content & paid.
1865. H. Staunton, Grt. Schools Eng., Eton, ii. 10. On its final settlement it consisted of … 10 Almswomen, who occupy the place once held by the Bedesmen.
b. esp. † alms-deal, -dealing, distribution of alms; † alms-drink, the remains of liquor reserved for alms-people; alms-gift, alms-giving, also = ALMOIGN; alms-land, land held in frank almoign; † alms-penny, a penny given in charity or as a gratuity; † alms-room, an apartment in an alms-house; † alms-tub, a large vessel in which the remains of food were preserved for distribution in alms; † alms-wine, wine given in alms; † alms-work (= ALMS-DEED).
Also ALMS-BASKET, -DEED, -DISH, -FEE, -FOLK, -HOUSE, -MAN, q.v.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 135. Þe apostel us muneȝeð here to … elmasdele.
1563. Homilies, II. xi. II. (1859), 389. Merciful almose-dealing is profitable to purge the soul.
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., II. vii. 5. They haue made him drinke Almes drinke.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2464. Chirche-gong, elmesse-gifte, and messe song.
1882. J. Hardy in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, IX. 474. The Abbot … held one carrucate of land … in pure alms-gift.
1809. Bawdwen, Domesday Bk., 135. The Almsland of the poor is contained within this limit.
1595. Peele, Old Wives’ T., 154, in Wks. 1888, I. 309 (N.). Father, here is an alms-penny for me.
a. 1589. Petition, in Robinson’s Gold. Mirr. (1850), Introd. 12. One of the twelve Allmose Rowmes at Westminster.
1680. Shadwell, Wom.-Capt., I. Wks. 1726, III. 347. Whose beards stunk of beef and brewis, and his breath like the fume of an alm’s-tub.
1461–83. Ord. R. Househ., 73. Wynes, almeswynes to houses of relygyouse & for wynes of yeftes.
c. 1200. Ormin, 10118. To wirrkenn allmesswertkess.
