Altruism is concern for others put before yourself. Pure altruism, an act of altruism, motivated by altruism.
Biologists argue about whether it exists at all, since helping relatives passes on shared genes and helping strangers can pay back later. The word was coined in French in 1830 by Auguste Comte, from the word for other people.
1nounaltruismConcern for others put before yourself.
“She gave her kidney to a stranger out of pure altruism.”
altruism is a concern.
French altruisme was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte, from autrui, other people, from Latin alter.
French
altruisme
English, today
altruism
Built from
Borrowed from French altruisme. From French altruisme, which was coined in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui + isme, from Old French -, from Latin alteri, dative of alter (“other”) (whence also English alter). Apparently inspired by the French Latin legal phrase l'autrui, from le bien, le droit d'autrui (“the good, the right of the other”). Introduced into English by George Henry Lewes in 1853, in his translation Comte’s Philosophy of the Sciences, 1, xxi.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA