alms

The word 'alms' has a long journey of linguistic borrowing and phonetic erosion. It entered English from Old English ælmesse, a direct loan from Christian Latin eleēmosyna, which itself was adopted from the Greek eleēmosynē, meaning "pity" or "compassionate gift." The Greek root is eleos ("mercy"), and the term was used in early Christian contexts to denote charitable relief for the poor. Over centuries, the initial vowels and syllables were gradually worn away in English pronunciation and spelling, transforming the lengthy classical form into the compact, singular-sounding modern word 'alms,' which retains its core association with charitable giving.

The word is a simplex loanword. It originates from Old English ælmesse, which was borrowed from Late Latin eleēmosyna, itself from Greek eleēmosynē ("pity, alms"). The Greek term derives from eleos ("mercy").