altruism
pronunciation
How to pronounce altruism in British English:
UK [ˈæltruɪzəm]
How to pronounce altruism in American English:
US [ˈæltruˌɪzəm]
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- Noun:
- the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Word Origin
- altruism
- altruism: [19] Etymologically as well as semantically, altruism contains the notion of ‘other people’. It was borrowed from French altruisme, which was apparently coined in 1830 by the philosopher Auguste Comte on the basis of Italian altrui ‘that which belongs to other people’. This was the oblique case of altro ‘other’, from Latin alter. Littré’s Dictionnaire de la langue française suggests that the coinage was based on such French legal phrases as le bien d’autrui ‘the welfare of others’ and le droit d’autrui ‘the rights of others’ (autrui corresponds to Italian altrui).=> alias, alter, else
- altruism (n .)
- 1853, "unselfishness, opposite of egoism," from French altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), from autrui, from Old French altrui, "of or to others," from Latin alteri, dative of alter "other" (see alter). Apparently suggested to Comte by French legal phrase l'autrui, or in full, le bien, le droit d'autrui. The -l- is perhaps a reinsertion from the Latin word. There is a fable that when the badger had been stung all over by bees, a bear consoled him by a rhapsodic account of how he himself had just breakfasted on their honey. The badger replied peevishly, "The stings are in my flesh, and the sweetness is on your muzzle." The bear, it is said, was surprised at the badger's want of altruism. ["George Eliot," "Theophrastus Such," 1879]
Antonym
Example
- 1. There are also indicators that altruism has biological roots .
- 2. Some even act out of sheer altruism .
- 3. Schadenfreude is unbecoming and not just because of altruism .
- 4. And it 's not just about self-confidence or altruism .
- 5. As group size increases , both forms of altruism break down .