Charitable
adjectiveRelating to, or marked by, generous help given to people in need.
How to spell charitable
10 letters · 4 syllables
How to pronounce charitable
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does charitable mean?
- adjectiveRelating to, or marked by, generous help given to people in need.
- adjectiveKind and tolerant when judging the actions or faults of others.
Charitable in a sentence
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The firm makes a charitable donation to the food bank every December.
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To be charitable, his report was rushed rather than dishonest.
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She devotes her weekends to charitable work at the local shelter.
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Even a charitable reading of the contract shows it favours the landlord.
Where does charitable come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word goes back to the Latin noun caritas, which meant 'dearness', 'high regard', and later 'Christian love', itself built on carus meaning 'dear' or 'beloved'. From caritas came the Old French charité (love towards others, almsgiving) and the adjective charitable, meaning 'generous towards the poor', which English adopted in the 1300s. The early sense was tied closely to religious duty: to be charitable was to perform acts of Christian love, especially the giving of alms. Over time the meaning broadened to cover both organised giving and a kindly, lenient attitude in judging others. The spelling preserves the French shape, which is why the unstressed middle vowel is written with an 'i' (charit-) even though it sounds like a faint schwa, the main trap for writers.
How the word is built
- charit- (from Latin caritas: Christian love, dearness)
- -able (inclined to, capable of)
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