Word: largess (noun)

Associations

"Largess" means generous giving, especially of money or gifts, often from someone in a position of power or wealth. It is about kindness shown by giving something valuable freely.

• Example 1: The king showed largess by giving gold to the poor. This means the king was generous.
• Example 2: Her largess helped fund the new library. Here, largess means she gave money or support freely.
• Example 3: The charity depends on the largess of donors. This means the charity relies on generous gifts.

A well-known synonym is "generosity." The main difference is largess often implies giving from a higher status or official position, while generosity is more general and can be from anyone.

Substitution

You can replace "largess" with:

• generosity (more common and general)
• gift (focuses on the thing given)
• donation (usually money or goods given to help)
• bounty (often means a large or generous gift, sometimes from a ruler)

Using "generosity" instead of "largess" makes the sentence less formal and less tied to status.

Deconstruction

"Largess" comes from the Old French word "largesse," which means generosity or liberality. The root is from Latin "largus," meaning abundant or generous. There is no prefix or suffix in modern English; it is a noun borrowed whole.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone showed largess to you or others?
• How is largess different from just giving a small gift?
• Do you think largess is important in leaders or people with power? Why?