eleemosynary
/ˌɛl.ɪˈmɑː.sə.nɛɹ.i/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.22 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
6
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Relating to charity, alms, or almsgiving.
Example Sentences
- "I am bound to say he didn't criticise his benefactors, though practically he got tired of them; she, however, had the highest standards about eleemosynary forms."
- "He did some work for the New York Public Library . . . and also dabbled in eleemosynary science for the Russell Sage Foundation."
- "An author ought to consider himself, not as a gentleman who gives a private or eleemosynary treat, but rather as one who keeps a public ordinary, at which all persons are welcome for their money."
- "His spirited refusal of an eleemosynary supply of shoes, arose, no doubt, from a proper pride."
- "Crouch low thy neck to eleemosynary gifts."
- "... it is also true that the policy of nations, or the bounty of individuals, formerly did much to counteract the effect of this limitation of competition, by offering eleemosynary instruction to a much larger class of persons than could have obtained the same advantages by paying their price."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin eleēmosynārius (“alms dispenser”), from Late Latin eleēmosyna (“alms”), from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”), from ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn, “merciful”) + -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē, “suffix denoting an abstract noun”). Compare Italian elemosina.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: eleēmosynārius, eleēmosyna, ἐλεημοσύνη
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɛl.ɪˈmɑː.sə.nɛɹ.i/
- British English: /ˌɛl.ɪ.iːˈmɒ.sɪ.nə.ɹi/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more eleemosynary (comparative)
most eleemosynary (superlative)
eleëmosynary (alternative)
eleemosynaries (plural)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
eleemosynate
eleemosynous