altruism
noun
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Altruism Has Roots in Latin and French
Altruism refers to a quality possessed by people whose focus is on something other than themselves, and its root reveals the object of those generous tendencies. Altruism derives from the French word autrui, meaning "other people." Autrui, in turn, developed from the Old French term autre, which means "other" and which itself comes from Latin alter, also meaning "other." That Latin source eventually caused a curious thing to happen. Under the influence of alter, the French autrui gave rise to the altrui- of both the French altruisme and the English altruism. The English term has been in service since at least the mid-1800s.
Examples of altruism in a Sentence
W. Andrew Achenbaum, Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006
Mary may have ample resources and prefer that her share pass to her children who have greater need and are in lower income tax brackets. (The progressive nature of our tax laws often fosters such altruism among family members.)
—William M. McGovern, Jr. et al., Wills, Trusts and Estates, 1988
And he still chokes up when he tells the story. Even at that young age, he understood that what his aunt was doing for him was the purest act of altruism.
—Gail Sheehy, New York Times Magazine, 20 Apr. 1986
Jamil Wyne, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Perhaps more than any single post-World War II president, Carter changed the way many saw the U.S. by attempting to inject American values of altruism, democracy and human rights into foreign policy.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
The United States does not uphold its obligations to NATO out of some kind of misguided altruism.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
And then there are those who take their altruism a step further by becoming two-time organ donors.
—Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Altruism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altruism. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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altruism
noun
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