Where does “almsperson” come from?
almsperson (English) comes from English alms, from French aumône, from Old French almosne, from Vulgar Latin alemosyna, from Latin eleēmosyna, from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη, from Ancient Greek ἐλεήμων, from Ancient Greek ἐλεέω — Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots.
almsperson (English): A person who receives charitable assistance, especially at an almshouse
Definitions
- A person who receives charitable assistance, especially at an almshouse
Ancestry of “almsperson”, step by step
almsperson traces back through two 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 Person
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Person | An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being |
| 2 | Middle English | persoun | person |
| 3 | Old French | persone | person; individual; rector of a parish; someone;... |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | persona | parson, person; mask; character |
| 5 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 6 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | eye |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |