al|i|mo|ny

al|i|mo|ny «AL uh _MOH nee», noun.

1. a) a fixed sum of money paid regularly under orders from a court to a woman or man for support of the spouse, or former spouse.

2. supply of the means of living; maintenance.

╂[< Latin alimōnia sustenance < alere nourish]

Usage In the United States, alimony is paid after a divorce, or after a legal separation, or until a decision is reached by the court. In Eglish law, alimony is ordered during the course of a suit for separation or divorce or following a judicial separation; following divorce the term is maintenance, though in popular British use alimony covers it also.