almsman · noun — one who depends on the receipt of alms, a beggar. It carries an Arena rating of 1359, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, almsman ranks #4,351 of 17,145 for Most Malleable Words, #4,496 of 17,136 for Most Elegant Words, #4,683 of 17,152 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,839 of 17,153 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “almsman” is a great word
ALMSMAN — [Noun] A person whose survival depends upon the charitable relief of others; a beggar. The word's lineage is transparently English, a compound of the Old English words for charity (ælmesse, alms) and person (mann). Unlike a "beadsman" (specifically a pensioner endowed to pray for a benefactor's soul) or a "pauper" (simply a destitute person), an almsman is defined by the act of receiving, his condition of pure dependency. He is the figure with outstretched hands at the cathedral gate, the regular recipient of the parish dole, the one whose entire world narrows to the hope of another's surplus—a life sustained not by labor, but by the fragile grace of strangers.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English allmsman, almosman, almesmann, from Old English almesmann, equivalent to alms + man.
noun
- One who depends on the receipt of alms, a beggar.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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