Part 193

Al"mon*dine (&?;), n. See Almandine

Al"mon*er (&?;), n. [OE. aumener, aulmener, OF. almosnier, aumosnier, F. aumônier, fr. OF. almosne, alms, L. eleemosyna. See Alms.] One who distributes alms, esp. the doles and alms of religious houses, almshouses, etc.; also, one who dispenses alms for another, as the almoner of a prince, bishop, etc.

Al"mon*er*ship, n. The office of an almoner.

Al"mon*ry (&?;), n.; pl. Almonries (&?;). [OF. aumosnerie, F. aumônerie, fr. OF. aumosnier. See Almoner.] The place where an almoner resides, or where alms are distributed.

Al"mose (&?;), n. Alms. [Obs.] Cheke.

Al"most (&?;), adv. [AS. ealmæst, ælmæst, quite the most, almost all; eal (OE. al) all + m&?;st most.] Nearly; well nigh; all but; for the greatest part.

Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts xxvi. 28.

Almost never, scarcely ever. -- Almost nothing, scarcely anything.

Alm"ry (&?;), n. See Almonry. [Obs.]

Alms (&?;), n. sing. & pl. [OE. almes, almesse, AS. ælmysse, fr. L. eleemosyna, Gr. &?; mercy, charity, alms, fr. &?; to pity. Cf. Almonry, Eleemosynary.] Anything given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing; a gift of charity.

A devout man . . . which gave much alms to the people. Acts x. 2.

Alms are but the vehicles of prayer. Dryden.

Tenure by free alms. See Frankalmoign. Blackstone.

This word alms is singular in its form (almesse), and is sometimes so used; as, "asked an alms." Acts iii. 3."Received an alms." Shak. It is now, however, commonly a collective or plural noun. It is much used in composition, as almsgiver, almsgiving, alms bag, alms chest, etc.

Alms"deed` (&?;), n. An act of charity. Acts ix. 36.

Alms"folk` (&?;), n. Persons supported by alms; almsmen. [Archaic] Holinshed.

Alms"giv`er (&?;), n. A giver of alms.

Alms"giv`ing (&?;), n. The giving of alms.

Alms"house` (&?;), n. A house appropriated for the use of the poor; a poorhouse.

Alms"man (&?;), n.; fem. Almswoman. 1. A recipient of alms. Shak.

2. A giver of alms. [R.] Halliwell.

Al`mu*can"tar (&?;), n. [F. almucantarat, almicantarat, ultimately fr. Ar. al- muqantart, pl., fr. qantara to bend, arch.] (Astron.) A small circle of the sphere parallel to the horizon; a circle or parallel of altitude. Two stars which have the same almucantar have the same altitude. See Almacantar. [Archaic]

Almucanter staff, an ancient instrument, having an arc of fifteen degrees, formerly used at sea to take observations of the sun's amplitude at the time of its rising or setting, to find the variation of the compass.

Al"muce (&?;), n. Same as Amice, a hood or cape.

||Al*mude" (&?;), n. [Pg. almude, or Sp. almud, a measure of grain or dry fruit, fr. Ar. al-mudd a dry measure.] A measure for liquids in several countries. In Portugal the Lisbon almude is about 4.4, and the Oporto almude about 6.6, gallons U. S. measure. In Turkey the "almud" is about 1.4 gallons.

{ Al"mug (&?;), Al"gum (&?;), } n. [Heb., perh. borrowed fr. Skr. valguka sandalwood.] (Script.) A tree or wood of the Bible (2 Chron. ii. 8; 1 K. x. 11).

Most writers at the present day follow Celsius, who takes it to be the red sandalwood of China and the Indian Archipelago. W. Smith.

Al"nage (l"nj), n., [OF. alnage, aulnage, F. aunage, fr. OF. alne ell, of Ger. origin: cf. OHG. elina, Goth. aleina, cubit. See Ell.] (O. Eng. Law) Measurement (of cloth) by the ell; also, a duty for such measurement.