n. sing. & pl. [ OE. almes, almesse, AS. ælmysse, fr. L. eleemosyna, Gr.
A devout man . . . which gave much alms to the people. Acts x. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]
Alms are but the vehicles of prayer. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]
Tenure by free alms.
☞ This word
n. An act of charity. Acts ix. 36. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. Persons supported by alms; almsmen. [ Archaic ] Holinshed. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A giver of alms. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The giving of alms. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A house appropriated for the use of the poor; a poorhouse. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.;
n. [ OE. malvesie, F. malvoisie, It. malvasia, malavagia, fr. Malvasia, or Napoli di Malvasia, in the Morea. ] A kind of sweet wine from Crete, the Canary Islands, etc. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Not having received alms. [ Obs. & R. ] Pollock. [ 1913 Webster ]