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Webster 1913 Edition

Charity

Char′i-ty

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Charities
(#)
.
[F.
charité
fr. L.
caritas
dearness, high regard, love, from
carus
dear, costly, loved; asin to Skr.
kam
to wish, love, cf. Ir.
cara
a friend, W.
caru
to love. Cf.
Caress
.]
1.
Love; universal benevolence; good will.
Now abideth faith, hope,
charity
, three; but the greatest of these is
charity
.
1. Cor. xiii. 13.
They, at least, are little to be envied, in whose hearts the great
charities
. . . lie dead.
Ruskin.
With malice towards none, with
charity
for all.
Lincoln.
2.
Liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to put the best construction on the words and actions of others.
The highest exercise of
charity
is
charity
towards the uncharitable.
Buckminster.
3.
Liberality to the poor and the suffering, to benevolent institutions, or to worthy causes; generosity.
The heathen poet, in commending the
charity
of Dido to the Trojans, spake like a Christian.
Dryden.
4.
Whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the needy or suffering for their relief; alms; any act of kindness.
She did ill then to refuse her a
charity
.
L’Estrange.
5.
A charitable institution, or a gift to create and support such an institution;
as, Lady Margaret's
charity
.
6.
pl.
(Law)
Eleemosynary appointments [grants or devises] including relief of the poor or friendless, education, religious culture, and public institutions.
The
charities
that soothe, and heal, and bless,
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers.
Wordsworth.
Syn. – Love; benevolence; good will; affection; tenderness; beneficence; liberality; almsgiving.

Webster 1828 Edition

Charity

CHARITY

,
Noun.
1.
In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
1 Cor. 8. Col. 3. 1 Tim 1.
2.
In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, springing from natural relations; as the charities of father, son and brother.
3.
Liberality to the poor, consisting in almsgiving or benefactions, or in gratuitous services to relieve them in distress.
4.
Alms; whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the poor for their relief.
5.
Liberality in gifts and services to promote public objects of utility, as to found and support bible societies, missionary societies, and others.
6.
Candor; liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit. The highest exercise of charity, is charity towards the uncharitable.
7.
Any act of kindness, or benevolence; as the charities of life.
8.
A charitable institution. Charity-school, is a school maintained by voluntary contributions for educating poor children.

Definition 2024

Charity

Charity

See also: charity

English

Proper noun

Charity

  1. A female given name.
    • 1594, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act IV, Scene V:
      By Gis and by Saint Charity,
      Alack, and fie for shame!
    • 1851 Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapter 20:
      Never did any woman better deserve her name, which was Charity — Aunt Charity, as everybody called her. And like a sister of charity did this charitable Aunt Charity bustle about hither and thither, ready to turn her hand and heart to anything that promised to yield safety, comfort, and consolation to all on board a ship in which her beloved brother Bildad was concerned, and in which she herself owned a score or two of well-saved dollars.
    • 1989 Ann Oakley, The Men's Room, Atheneum 1989, ISBN 0689120508, page 223:
      Tessa giggled. 'What a dreadful name! Is she really called Charity?'
      'Yes. She really is.' Mark recalled how glorious the name of Charity had sounded to him in the beginning. 'It's not her fault she's called Charity,' he added defensively.

Usage notes

Originally more popular than Faith and Hope but less common than either of them today.

Related terms

Translations

charity

charity

See also: Charity

English

Noun

charity ‎(countable and uncountable, plural charities)

  1. (uncountable)  Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.
  2. In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.
    Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou will judge others with the judgment of charity. — John Mitchell Mason
  3. (uncountable)  Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess:
      ‘[…] 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”. […]’.
  4. (countable)  The goods or money given to those in need.
  5. (countable)  An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.

Synonyms

Translations

Etymology

From charity in the biblical sense of Christian love; first used by Puritans. In early Christian tradition, Faith, Hope and Charity were the martyred daughters of Saint Sophia. The names, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13 (And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity) have been translated and used in many languages.

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