Link Centre Dictionary

charity

cha·rity

UK/ˈtʃæɹɪti/ US/ˈt͡ʃɛɹəti/ common informal us

noun

1.

a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)

2.
3.

an activity or gift that benefits the public at large

4.
5.

an institution set up to provide help to the needy

Origin

From charity in the Biblical sense of Christian love; first used by Puritans. In early Christian tradition, Faith, Hope and Charity were the martyred daughters of Saint Sophia. The names, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13 ("And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity") have been translated and used in many languages. The name of the sura (chapter) is one of several translations of the original Arabic.

Phrases

  • charity begins at home
  • charity box
  • charity boy
  • charity case
  • charity girl
  • charity label
  • charity mugger
  • charity shop

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.