Where does “almshouse” come from?
Almshouse comes from Middle English almassehous, a compound of almes (alms) and hous (house), denoting a residential establishment for the poor or charitable purposes.
almshouse (English): A building of residence for the poor, sick or...
Definitions
- A building of residence for the poor, sick or...
Ancestry of “almshouse”, step by step
almshouse traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English alms
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alms | Something given to the poor as charity, such as... |
| 2 | French | aumône | alms; a small, insulting sum of money |
| 3 | Old French | almosne | alms |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | alemosyna | alms |
| 5 | Latin | eleēmosyna | alms |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἐλεημοσύνη | pity, mercy; alms, charity |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἐλεήμων | pitiful, merciful |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἐλεέω | I have pity on, take pity on, show mercy to |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -έω | Used to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |
via English House
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | House | A particular chamber of political representation |
| 2 | Middle English | hous | house, residence; house of worship, temple;... |
| 3 | Old English | hūs | dwelling, shelter, house; house |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hūs | house |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hūsą | house |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |
via Middle English almeshous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | almeshous | — |