Alimony
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A court-mandated allowance made to a former spouse by a divorced or legally separated person. countable, derogatory, sometimes, uncountable
"In that case he has to pay her alimony even if there are no children, and if she is one of those smart ones, interested in nothing but a good living and independence, she is set for life."
- 2 court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated wordnet
- 3 Nourishment, sustenance, especially for one's spirit. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[…]while we eate the bread of sorrow, drinking the wine of compunction, wee hunger and thirst after heauenly things, and shall be comforted. This is the constant alimonie of the righteous, at dinner and supper, in life and death[…]"
Example
More examples""Is there any reason I need to be in the delivery room when my wife is giving birth?" "Only if the word 'alimony' means anything to you.""
Etymology
Known since the 17th century, from Latin alimōnia (“food, support, nourishment, sustenance”) (English aliment, as in alimentary), itself from alō (“to nourish”) + -mōnia (“action, state, condition”).
Related phrases
More for "alimony"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.