Charity
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Charity \Char"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Charities}. [F. charit['e] 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}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Love; universal benevolence; good will.
[1913 Webster]
Now abideth faith, hope, charity, three; but the
greatest of these is charity. --1. Cor.
xiii. 13.
[1913 Webster]
They, at least, are little to be envied, in whose
hearts the great charities . . . lie dead. --Ruskin.
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With malice towards none, with charity for all.
--Lincoln.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
The highest exercise of charity is charity towards
the uncharitable. --Buckminster.
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3. Liberality to the poor and the suffering, to benevolent
institutions, or to worthy causes; generosity.
[1913 Webster]
The heathen poet, in commending the charity of Dido
to the Trojans, spake like a Christian. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
4. Whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the needy or
suffering for their relief; alms; any act of kindness.
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She did ill then to refuse her a charity.
--L'Estrange.
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5. A charitable institution, or a gift to create and support
such an institution; as, Lady Margaret's charity.
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6. pl. (Law) Eleemosynary appointments [grants or devises]
including relief of the poor or friendless, education,
religious culture, and public institutions.
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The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless,
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers.
--Wordsworth.
[1913 Webster]
{Sisters of Charity} (R. C. Ch.), a sisterhood of religious
women engaged in works of mercy, esp. in nursing the sick;
-- a popular designation. There are various orders of the
Sisters of Charity.
Syn: Love; benevolence; good will; affection; tenderness;
beneficence; liberality; almsgiving.
[1913 Webster]
from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Charity
(1 Cor. 13), the rendering in the Authorized Version of the word
which properly denotes love, and is frequently so rendered
(always so in the Revised Version). It is spoken of as the
greatest of the three Christian graces (1 Cor. 12:31-13:13).
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
193 Moby Thesaurus words for "charity":
Amor, BOMFOG, Benthamism, Christian charity, Christian love, Eros,
Platonic love, abetment, accord, accordance, admiration, adoration,
advocacy, aegis, affection, affinity, agape, agreement, alms,
alms fee, almsgiving, altruism, amity, ardency, ardor, attachment,
auspices, backing, benefaction, beneficence, benevolence,
benevolent disposition, benevolentness, bigheartedness,
bodily love, bonds of harmony, brotherly love, cardinal virtues,
care, caritas, cement of friendship, championship, charitableness,
clemency, collection, communion, community, community of interests,
compassion, compatibility, concord, concordance, condonation,
congeniality, conjugal love, considerateness, consideration,
contribution, correspondence, countenance, desire, devotion,
do-goodism, dole, donation, donative, easiness, empathy,
encouragement, esprit, esprit de corps, faith, faithful love,
fancy, favor, feeling of identity, fellow feeling, fellowship,
fervor, flame, flower power, fondness, forbearance, fortitude,
fosterage, free love, free-lovism, frictionlessness, friendliness,
generosity, generousness, giving, good vibes, good vibrations,
goodwill, grace, greatheartedness, guidance, handout, happy family,
harmony, heart, hero worship, hope, humaneness, humanitarianism,
humanity, identity, idolatry, idolism, idolization, indulgence,
interest, justice, kindliness, kinship, largeheartedness, largesse,
lasciviousness, lenience, leniency, lenity, liberality, libido,
like, like-mindedness, liking, long-suffering, love,
love of mankind, lovemaking, magnanimity, married love,
munificence, mutuality, natural virtues, offering, offertory,
oneness, passion, patience, patronage, peace, permissiveness,
philanthropism, philanthropy, physical love, pittance,
popular regard, popularity, prudence, rapport, rapprochement,
reciprocity, regard, relief, seconding, sentiment, sex,
sexual love, sharing, shine, solidarity, spiritual love,
sponsorship, subscription, supernatural virtues, sympathy,
symphony, team spirit, temperance, tender feeling, tender passion,
theological virtues, tithe, tolerance, toleration, truelove,
tutelage, understanding, union, unison, unity, unselfishness,
utilitarianism, uxoriousness, votive offering, weakness, welfare,
welfarism, well-disposedness, worship, yearning
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