In Latin, alimentum means food. Currently, alimony is understood as means of maintaining (in relation to children also upbringing) needed to provide just food, but also clothing, housing, treatment, and even to meet cultural needs.

If these funds are not delivered in kind, the court determines their equivalent in cash. So in practice, when you talk about alimony, you mean a specific amount of money.

Exercising alimony obligation towards a child who is not yet able to stand alone or towards a disabled person may rely entirely or partly on personal efforts to maintain or raise the rightholder; in this case, the maintenance obligation of the other obligated parties consists in covering in full or in part the costs of maintaining or bringing up the right-holder.