Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for happiness of other human beings or other animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious and secular worldviews. However, the object(s) of concern vary among cultures and religions. In an extreme case, altruism may become a synonym of selflessness, which is the opposite of selfishness.

The word "altruism" was popularized (and possibly coined) by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in French, as "altruisme", for an antonym of egoism. He derived it from the Italian "altrui", which in turn was derived from Latin "alteri", meaning "other people" or "somebody else".

More Info: en.wikipedia.org