Relating to charity, alms, or almsgiving; intended for the distribution of charity; as, an eleemosynary corporation.

Given in charity or alms; having the nature of alms; as, eleemosynary assistance.

Supported by charity; as, eleemosynary poor.

Eleemosynary is a 1985 one-act play by Lee Blessing. Staged with utmost simplicity, using platforms and a few props, the play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect—and sensitivity—whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea. As the play begins, Dorothea has suffered a stroke, and while Echo has reestablished contact with her mother, it is only through extended telephone conversations, during which real issues are skirted and their talk is mostly about the precocious Echo's single-minded domination of a national spelling contest.

generous in assistance to the poor; "a benevolent contributor"; "eleemosynary relief"; "philanthropic contributions"