Charity

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˈtʃæɹɪti/, /ˈtʃæɹɪti/, /ˈtʃɛɹəti/.

Origin

From Old French charité (French: charité), from Latin caritas.

Full definition of charity

Noun

1. (archaic)  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, The China Governess Chapter 6, ‘… 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”. â€¦â€™.
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

• (organization) charitable organization