Altruism is the tendency to help others selflessly. The word, as such, comes from the French altruisme, a voice derived from autrui, meaning 'another person' or 'the others'. It originally refers to Latin alter, which translates 'other'.
The term altruism was created in the 19th century by the French philosopher Augustus Comte to define a type of behavior opposed to selfishness.
People who act with altruism do so selflessly, without pursuing personal benefit, but with the aim of seeking the good of others.
An altruistic person, in this sense, is one who thinks of others before himself. It's someone who helps or supports those who need help without expecting anything in return.
Altruism is a very important value in society because it is based on solidarity and empathy with the other.