almoner

al·mo·ner
A1L1M3O1N1E1R1
UK, contemporary/ˈal.mə.nə/UK/ˈæl-/UK/ˈɑː.mə-/Canada, US/ˈæl.mə.nəɹ/

noun

A person who distributes alms, especially the doles and alms of religious houses, almshouses.

“the almoner of a prince or bishop”

Similar
medical social worker
Scrabble 9

Meanings

nounalmoner (plural almoners)

plural almoners

  1. A person who distributes alms, especially the doles and alms of religious houses, almshouses.
  2. A person who dispenses alms on behalf of another person.

    the almoner of a prince or bishop

    1 more example

    Francesca, from where she stood, could hear the Queen giving a laughing account of the Due de Domville's attachment to Mademoiselle Menneville, the prettiest of her maids of honour, all of whom were pretty. "It is a passion of the good old time, and has already lasted some four years; but Madame la Duchesse de Vantadour, his mother, will not hear of it. Never before was a lover of fifty so put out, to think that he cannot yet have his own way. Not content with his own cares, when obliged to be absent he leaves his almoner to take charge of her. It is gallantry equally antediluvian and interminable; I suppose they will be married one day, and buried the next."

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 54

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan official in a British hospital who looks after the social and material needs of the patients

Similar
medical social worker
Broader
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latineleemosyna
  2. Old Frenchalmosnier
  3. Middle Englishaumener
  4. Englishalmoner

From Middle English aumener, aulmener, from Old French almosnier, from almosne (“alms”), from Latin eleemosyna. See alms, Almosen.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans aalmoesenier, aalmoesenier
  • aalmoesenierperson who distributes alms
  • aalmoesenierperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Dutch aalmoezenier, aalmoezenier
  • aalmoezenierperson who distributes alms
  • aalmoezenierperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
French aumônier, aumônier
  • aumônierperson who distributes alms
  • aumônierperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Irish almsóir, banalmsóir
  • almsóirperson who distributes alms
  • banalmsóirperson who distributes alms
  • almsóirperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Italian elemosiniere, elemosiniere
  • elemosiniereperson who distributes alms
  • elemosiniereperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Latin elemosinarius, eleemosynarius
  • elemosinariusperson who distributes alms
  • eleemosynariusperson who distributes alms
  • eleemosynariusperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
  • elemosinariusperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Polish jałmużnik, jałmużnica
  • jałmużnikperson who distributes alms
  • jałmużnicaperson who distributes alms
  • jałmużnikperson who distributes alms on behalf of another
Portuguese esmoler, esmoler
  • esmolerperson who distributes alms
  • esmolerperson who distributes alms on behalf of another

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

almoner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/almoner

MLA

“almoner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/almoner. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “almoner,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/almoner.

Source: almoner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.