• n. 捐獻；救濟物，施舍金

詞源不詳。

alms

alms: [OE] The word alms has become much reduced in its passage through time from its ultimate Greek source, eleēmosúnē ‘pity, alms’. This was borrowed into post-classical (Christian) Latin as eleēmosyna, which subsequently became simplified in Vulgar Latin to *alimosina (source of the word for ‘a(chǎn)lms’ in many Romance languages, such as French aum?ne and Italian limosina).

At this stage Germanic borrowed it, and in due course dispersed it (German almosen, Dutch aalmoes). It entered Old English as ?lmesse, which became reduced in Middle English to almes and finally by the 17th century to alms (which because of its -s had come to be regarded as a plural noun). The original Greek eleēmosúnē is itself a derivative, of the adjective eleémōn ‘compassionate’, which in turn came from the noun éleos ‘pity’.

From medieval Latin eleēmosyna was derived the adjective eleēmosynarius (borrowed into English in the 17th century as the almost unpronounceable eleemosynary ‘giving alms’). Used as a noun, this passed into Old French as a(u)lmonier, and eventually, in the 13th century, became English aumoner ‘giver of alms’. The modern sense of almoner as a hospital social worker did not develop until the end of the 19th century.
=> almoner, eleemosynary

alms (n.)

Old English ?lmesse "alms, almsgiving," from Proto-Germanic *alemosna (cognates: Old Saxon alamosna, Old High German alamuosan, Old Norse ?lmusa), an early borrowing of Vulgar Latin *alemosyna (source of Old Spanish almosna, Old French almosne, Italian limosina), from Church Latin eleemosyna (Tertullian, 3c.), from Greek eleemosyne "pity, mercy," in Ecclesiastical Greek "charity, alms," from eleemon "compassionate," from eleos "pity, mercy," which is of unknown origin, perhaps imitative of cries for alms. Spelling perversion in Vulgar Latin is perhaps by influence of alimonia.

1. Alms were distributed to those in need.

救濟品被分發(fā)給困難人群。

來自柯林斯例句

2. It was their religious duty to give alms to the poor.

施舍窮人是他們的宗教義務.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

3. The Chinese Government never regards aid to other countries as a kind of unilateral alms but as sth. mutual.

中國政府從來不把對外援助看作是單方面的恩賜,而認為援助是相互的.

來自《現(xiàn)代漢英綜合大詞典》

4. The Moslems must give alms generously and provide for the poor.

穆斯林必須慷慨施舍幫助窮人.

來自英漢非文學 - 文明史

5. He seldom passed a beggar without offering alms.

他在一個要飯的面前,很少不布施一點錢.

來自辭典例句