ˈä]mz, ˈȧ] also ]lmz; sporadic & old-fash ˈamz\ noun
( plural alms )
Etymology: Middle English almesse, almes, from Old English ælmesse, ælmes; akin to Old Saxon almōsa, Middle Dutch aelmoese, Old High German alamuosan; all from a prehistoric West Germanic word borrowed from Late Latin eleemosyna, from Greek eleēmosynē pity, alms, from eleos pity
1. archaic
a. : charity
such virtues as alms and mercy
b. : charitable deeds
when thou doest alms , let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth — Mt 6:3 (Authorized Version)
2. : anything given freely to relieve the poor (as money, food, or clothing) : a charitable gift — usually plural in constr.
3. : an offering of money received from the congregation during an Anglican religious service and usually presented at the altar by the minister