pittance
English
Etymology
From Middle English pitaunce, from Old French pitance, pitence, from Medieval Latin *pietāntia, from Latin pietās (“piety”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈpɪtəns/, [ˈpʰɪʔn̩s]
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Hyphenation: pit‧tance
Noun
pittance (plural pittances)
- A small allowance of food and drink; a scanty meal.
- A meagre allowance of money or wages.
- 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, OCLC 1000392275, page 74:
- In the very prime of life, Mr. Glentworth found every prospect gone; he had only a meagre pittance, compared to his former expenditure; but he had neither the habits nor the opportunity of increasing it.
- 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 5, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:
- So I went to keep house with him at the Why Not? and my aunt sent down my bag of clothes, and would have made over to Elzevir the pittance that my father left for my keep, but he said it was not needful, and he would have none of it.
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- A small amount.
Derived terms
- pittancer
Translations
small allowance of food and drink; a scanty meal
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meagre allowance of money or wages
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a small amount
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Translations to be checked
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