largesse

Meaning

1. (uncountable) The trait of being willing to donate money, resources, or time; generosity, liberality.
2. (uncountable) Often preceded by do, give, or make: the generous or liberal giving of gifts or money, especially by someone of high standing on a special occasion; also, excessive or wasteful giving.
3. (uncountable) Money, etc., given in this way.
4. (figuratively, uncountable) Abundance of something (chiefly beneficial), regarded as having been given generously.
5. (obsolete, uncountable) Chiefly in the form at one's largesse: freedom or liberty to act.
6. (countable) An act of donating or giving generously.
7. (also, countable, figuratively) A specific gift of money, etc., given in this way, specifically (historical) at harvest time; a donation, a gratuity.

Opposite of

miserliness, niggardliness, stinginess, tightfistedness

Synonyms

largess

munificence

magnanimity

openhandedness

open-handedness

bounteousness

presents

bounty

generosity

gifts

Translations

largesse

munificenza

cömertlik

Freigebigkeit

magnanimità

Großmut

bahşiş

ihsan

generosità

magnanimité

Großherzigkeit

magnanimitat

generosidad

magnanimidad

magnificenza

Pronounced as (IPA)

/lɑːˈ(d)ʒɛs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: larges

Cognate with French: largesse

In summary

From Middle English larges, largess, largesse [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman largece, largesce, Middle French largece, largesce, largesse, and Old French largesce (“breadth, width; request for a monetary gift; (act of) generous giving; (chiefly in the plural) generous gift; generosity, liberality”) (in Anglo-Norman also “liberty; privilege”; modern French largesse), from large (“big, large; generous; wide”).