Rarely to I begin a post with a full definition from the OED, but for this word, I shall:
“Disinterested or selfless concern for the well-being of others, esp. as a principle of action. Opposed to selfishness, egoism, or (in early use) egotism.”
This sentiment, so at odds with the stock-market panic and hoarding now underway, should remind us of better times past and, yes, ahead once the fevers, real or anxiety-born, die down.
The entry at the OED gives us a good sense of where our word comes from, and it’s a loan word from the French altruisme. Curiously, it only dates to the mid-19th Century in English. Certainly, as any novel by Dickens attests, people were not all Scrooges and Mister Bumbles back then, or earlier.
Later formations are altruist, for one who practices altruism, as well as the slightly earlier altruistic.
Right now might seem a dangerous time to be selfless. What small acts of altruism have you practiced during this emergency? Which will you practice?
I saw a lot of altruism this week among my Writing Consultants at the university. We resume remote learning next week, so many of my student employees put their elders to shame, stepping right up to help students with their papers, regardless of their current job duties. Don’t make fun of “Gen Z” until you have been around more of them. They are kinder than we old fogies. Good thing, that.
Please send us words and metaphors useful in academic writing by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below.
See all of our Metaphors of the Month here and Words of the Week here.
Image “A Helping Hand” courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.