alms-fee

noun

An annual tax of one penny on every hearth, collected in England and Ireland and sent to Rome, from the beginning of the tenth century until it was abolished by Henry VIII.

Similar
Rome-scotRome-feePeter's pence
OriginOld English ælmesfeoh →
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Meanings

nounalms-fee (plural alms-fees)

plural alms-fees

  1. historicalAn annual tax of one penny on every hearth, collected in England and Ireland and sent to Rome, from the beginning of the tenth century until it was abolished by Henry VIII.

    Synonyms: Rome-scot, Rome-fee, Peter's pence

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn annual tax of one penny on every hearth, collected in England and Ireland and sent to Rome, from the beginning of the tenth century until it was abolished by Henry VIII.

Similar
Rome-scotRome-feePeter's pence

Origin

  1. Old Englishælmesfeoh
  2. Englishalms-fee

From Old English ælmesfeoh, from ælmesse (“alms”) + feoh (“money”). See fee.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: alms-fee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.