eleemosynary
/ˌɛl.ɪ.iːˈmɒ.sɪ.nə.ɹi/
"eleemosynary" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“eleemosynary” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to charity, alms, or almsgiving.
Corpus desk
Index EN-eleemosynary · eleemosynary · English
eleemosynary · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-7 7 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "E" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | eleemosynary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɛl.ɪ.iːˈmɒ.sɪ.nə.ɹi/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “eleemosynary” in English
Rare enough to double-check
eleemosynary is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɛl.ɪ.iːˈmɒ.sɪ.nə.ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for eleemosynary, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin eleēmosynārius (“alms dispenser”), from Late Latin eleēmosyna (“alms”), from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”), from ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn, “merciful”) + -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē, “suffix denoting an abstract noun”). Compare Italian elemosina. The correct English form is eleemosynary, spelled E-L-E-E-M-O-S-Y-N-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Relating to charity, alms, or almsgiving.
- 2Given in charity or alms; having the nature of alms
- 3Supported by charity
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how eleemosynary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I am bound to say he didn't criticise his benefactors, though practically he got tired of them; she, however, had the highest standards about eleemosynary forms.
He did some work for the New York Public Library . . . and also dabbled in eleemosynary science for the Russell Sage Foundation.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin eleēmosynārius (“alms dispenser”), from Late Latin eleēmosyna (“alms”), from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”), from ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn, “merciful”) + -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē, “suffix denoting an abstract noun”). Compare Italian elemosina.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.