What does alms mean?
Alms are money, food, clothing, or other material assistance given freely to people who are poor or otherwise in need, typically as an act of charity or religious duty. The word is a curious grammatical specimen: it exists only in plural form, with no singular counterpart, so one speaks of giving alms rather than giving an alm. Historically, almsgiving was regarded not merely as kindness but as a moral or spiritual obligation, woven into the practices of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism alike; medieval monasteries and churches served as major distribution points for aid to the destitute. In contemporary English, alms carries a formal, slightly archaic flavor — modern giving is usually described as donations or charity — yet it survives in phrases like 'giving alms' and in institutions such as almshouses. Its etymology reinforces its meaning: it descends from a Greek word for mercy, passed into Latin and then Old English, making alms linguistically what it has always been in practice — compassion made tangible.
nounMoney, food, or other material goods given freely to people who are poor or in need, especially as an act of charity or religious duty.
- Money, food, clothing, or other goods given as charity to people who are poor or in need, often as a religious obligation.
"The monks distributed alms to the beggars gathered at the monastery gate."
"Every Friday, she left alms at the temple for those less fortunate."
"In medieval Europe, monasteries were the principal dispensers of alms to the destitute."
Alms is a plural-only noun: there is no singular 'alm'. It can be treated as a mass noun taking singular agreement ('the alms was distributed') or as a true plural ('the alms were distributed'), though plural agreement is more common.
"The church collected alms for the flood victims."
The word 'alms' is always plural — you can't give just one 'alm' — and it traces back through Latin and Greek to a word meaning literally 'mercy'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alms
Alms derives ultimately from the ancient Greek word 'eleēmosynē', meaning mercy or compassion, which entered Latin as 'eleemosyna'. From Latin it passed through Vulgar Latin and Old English as 'ælmesse', eventually evolving into the modern form 'alms'. The same root gave rise to related terms such as 'eleemosynary' (relating to charity) and 'almoner' (an official who distributes alms), preserving the word's deep association with merciful giving across more than two millennia.
Related word forms
How alms is actually used
Alms is grammatically unusual: it is a plural-only noun with no singular form, though it can take either singular or plural verb agreement ('the alms were generous'). The word carries a somewhat old-fashioned, formal, or religious register today; modern charitable giving is more often described simply as donations or charity. It remains strongly associated with religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam (where zakat is a formalized form of almsgiving), Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Easily confused with alms
Arms are weapons, while alms are charitable gifts given to the needy — the two words share a similar ending but nothing else.