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
David Rosoff, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024
Rich countries should allow more people to live and work in their countries not out of altruism but to reckon with a growing demographic necessity.
—Lant Pritchett, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
While the outcome will be undoubtedly consequential for Ukrainians, assisting them toward victory is no matter of altruism for Americans, according to Hodges and Barros.
—Matt Seyler, ABC News, 8 June 2024
Mere months after winning her second Best Actress Oscar, Emma Stone finds herself on the verge of possibly winning her first Emmy for her terrifyingly funny and damning portrayal of white-feminist techno-capitalism masquerading as altruism in The Curse.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for altruism 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'altruism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Altruism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altruism. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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altruism
noun
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