charity
See also: Charity
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtʃæɹɪti/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃɛɹəti/
Audio (US, California) (file)
Noun edit
charity (countable and uncountable, plural charities)
- (countable) An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- ‘ […] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’.
- (countable) The goods or money given to those in need.
- (uncountable) Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.
- In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.
- July 20, 1677, John Mitchell Mason, letter to a friend
- Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou witl judge others with the judgment of charity.
- July 20, 1677, John Mitchell Mason, letter to a friend
- (archaic, Christianity) Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.
- Synonym: agape
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5:
- Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
- (US, Philippines, basketball, informal) A free throw.
Synonyms edit
- (organization): charitable organization
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
Christian love
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attitude
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providing of goods or money
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goods or money given
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organization
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Further reading edit
- "charity" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 54.