Lack of charity; absence of kindness, compassion, or willingness to help those in need; unkindness.
From dis- (negation) + charity (from Latin caritas 'affection, esteem'). The prefix inverts the meaning to describe the opposite of charitable feeling.
This archaic word captures something specific — not just cruelty, but the absence of the *impulse to help* — making it different from meanness or malice.
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