charity

From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās.

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

• Audio (US, California)

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charity (countable and uncountable, plural charities)

1. (countable) An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess‎:

     ‘[…] 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”. […]’.

2. (countable) The goods or money given to those in need.
3. (uncountable) Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.
4. In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.
   • John Mitchell Mason

     Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou will judge others with the judgment of charity.

5. (obsolete, Christianity) Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.

   Synonym: agape

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5:

     Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.

• (organization): charitable organization

• "charity" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 54.