largesse
noun

- willingness to give money, or money given to poor people by rich people

(Cambridge Dictionary)

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ORIGIN

You don't have to be an etymology expert to realize that the term largesse is related to the adjective large. Although we generally associate large with physical size, it originally had the additional sense of "bountiful, inclined to give or spend freely." Even the Latin root "largus" had several meanings including abundant, copious, plentiful, bountiful and liberal in giving.

As the BBC points out, the railroad barons of the early 20th century exhibited both physical and financial largesse, which inspired expressions such as "fat cats" and "throw your weight around" to describe rich and powerful people. After all, there was a time when physical weight was associated with wealth.

In a more negative connotation, the expression "government largesse" is used to denote government financial support in the form of social programs, tax breaks for corporations, scientific funding and the like. It's a popular phrase among people who are generally opposed to government "hand-outs."

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SYNONYMS

generosity, helping hand, liberality, munificence, bounty, bountifulness, benefaction, altruism, charity, philanthropy, magnanimity, beneficence, benevolence, charitableness, open-handedness, kindness, big-heartedness, great-heartedness, lavishness, free-handedness

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today, say something like:

"The new homeless shelter would not have been possible without the LARGESSE of the business community."