Almoner
/ˈæl.mə.nər/noun
A person who distributes money or food to the poor on behalf of someone else, especially a charitable officer.
Did you know?The word comes from the same Latin root as *alms* and *eleemosyna*, a church term that helped turn giving to the poor into a formal, almost ritualized act of mercy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂el-
“to nourish, support, or grow”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosýnē)
“pity, mercy, almsgiving”
Late Latin
Latin
eleemosyna
“alms, charitable gift”
Old French
Old French
aumosne
“alms, charity”
Middle English
English
almosner / almoner
“a person who distributes alms”
Modern English
English
almoner
“an official who dispenses charity or medical social help”
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