pittance

[ pit-ns ]
See synonyms for pittance on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a small amount or share.

  2. a small allowance or sum, as of money for living expenses.

  1. a scanty income or remuneration.

Origin of pittance

1
1175–1225; Middle English pitaunce<Old French pitance, variant of pietance piety, pity, allowance of food (in a monastery). See pity, -ance

Words Nearby pittance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pittance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pittance

pittance

/ (ˈpɪtəns) /


noun
  1. a small amount or portion, esp a meagre allowance of money

Origin of pittance

1
C16: from Old French pietance ration, ultimately from Latin pietās duty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012