Princeton's WordNet(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. charity(noun)

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

2. charity, brotherly love(noun)

   a kindly and lenient attitude toward people

3. charity(noun)

   an activity or gift that benefits the public at large

4. Jacob's ladder, Greek valerian, charity, Polemonium caeruleum, Polemonium van-bruntiae, Polymonium caeruleum van-bruntiae(noun)

   pinnate-leaved European perennial having bright blue or white flowers

5. charity(noun)

   an institution set up to provide help to the needy

Wiktionary(4.93 / 20 votes)Rate this definition:

1. charity(Noun)

   Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men.

2. charity(Noun)

   In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity.

   Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou will judge others with the judgment of charity. uE000163396uE001 John Mitchell Mason

3. charity(Noun)

   Benevolence to others less fortunate than ourselves; the providing of goods or money to those in need.

4. charity(Noun)

   The goods or money given to those in need.

5. charity(Noun)

   An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.

6. Charity(ProperNoun)

   .

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.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Charity(noun)

   love; universal benevolence; good will

2. Charity(noun)

   liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to put the best construction on the words and actions of others

3. Charity(noun)

   liberality to the poor and the suffering, to benevolent institutions, or to worthy causes; generosity

4. Charity(noun)

   whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the needy or suffering for their relief; alms; any act of kindness

5. Charity(noun)

   a charitable institution, or a gift to create and support such an institution; as, Lady Margaret's charity

6. Charity(noun)

   eleemosynary appointments [grants or devises] including relief of the poor or friendless, education, religious culture, and public institutions

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Charity

   In Christian theology charity, latin caritas, is by Thomas Aquinas understood as "the friendship of man for God", which "unites us to God". He holds it as "the most excellent of the virtues". Further, Aquinas holds that "the habit of charity extends not only to the love of God, but also to the love of our neighbor". Some delineate charity to mean only benevolent giving, while others, such as Roman Catholics, have multiple interrelated meanings.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Charity

   char′i-ti, n. (N.T.) universal love: the disposition to think favourably of others, and do them good: almsgiving: (pl.) affections.—adj. Char′itable, of or relating to charity: liberal to the poor.—n. Char′itableness.—adv. Char′itably.—Cold as charity, an ironical phrase implying the coldness of much so-called charity, which should naturally be warm. [Fr. charité—L. caritat-em, carus, dear.]

The Roycroft Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. charity

   1. A thing that begins at home, and usually stays there. 2. Bracing up Ralph Waldo Emerson's reputation by attributing to him literary mousetraps which he should have made, but didn't. (See Cheese.)

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. charity

   Song lyrics by charity -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by charity on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'charity' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2911

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'charity' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2981

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'charity' in Nouns Frequency: #1026

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of charity in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of charity in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Terence:

   Charity begins at home.

2. Francis Bacon:

   In charity there is no excess.

3. Vikrant Parsai:

   There is no charity without love.

4. German proverb:

   Charity sees the need not the cause.

5. Komal Singh:

   Sikihism is about community and charity.

Images & Illustrations of charity