Alma

noun

1. The name given in some parts of the East, and especially in Egypt, to a girl whose occupation is to amuse company in the houses of the wealthy or to sing dirges at funerals; a singing girl, of a higher class than the ghawazee or dancing-girls of Egypt, with whom the almas are sometimes confounded. See ghawazee and ghaziyeh. Also spelled alme and almeh.
2. A Turkish measure of capacity, equal to 1.15 gallons.
3. Same as alme.
4. An Egyptian singer or dancing-girl used for entertainment or as a professional mourner.