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
Gerald Joyce, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
In fact, a study my team published in August 2024 with adults over 50 with hoarding disorder suggests that altruism, a personality trait of wanting to help others, may explain why some people keep items that others might discard.
—Mary E. Dozier, CNN, 16 Mar. 2025
Compared with the general population, participants with hoarding disorder scored almost universally high on altruism.
—Mary E. Dozier, CNN, 16 Mar. 2025
To survive, vampire bats practice reciprocal altruism, sharing regurgitated blood with starving roost-mates—a rare and complex social behavior in the animal kingdom.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for altruism
Cite this Entry
“Altruism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altruism. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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altruism
noun
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