Plural of alm; archaic or dialect term for aims, almonry (a place where alms are distributed), or charitable donations.
From Old English 'æos' and Middle English 'almes,' derived from Late Latin 'eleemosyna,' which came from Greek 'eleemosyne' (compassion, alms). The word is related to 'almshouse' and 'alms.'
The history of the word 'alms' shows Christianity's linguistic influence on English—the Greek word 'eleemosyne' traveled through Latin and Old English to become embedded in our language for structured giving to the poor, creating institutions that lasted centuries.
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