A woman who receives alms (charity) or lives in an almshouse.
From 'alms' + 'woman.' This gendered term specifically denoted female recipients of charity, paralleling 'almsman' in medieval and early modern usage.
Almswomen often outnumbered almsmen in historical records, suggesting women faced greater economic vulnerability—their higher representation reflects the wage gaps and limited employment options women had.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.