subsidy

[ suhb-si-dee ]
See synonyms for: subsidysubsidies on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural sub·si·dies.
  1. a direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial undertaking, a charity organization, or the like.

  2. a sum paid, often in accordance with a treaty, by one government to another to secure some service in return.

  1. a grant or contribution of money.

  2. money formerly granted by the English Parliament to the crown for special needs.

Origin of subsidy

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English subsidie, from Anglo-French, from Latin subsidium “auxiliary force, reserve, help,” equivalent to sub-sub- + sid-, combining form of sedēre “to sit” (see sit1) + -ium-ium

synonym study For subsidy

1. Subsidy, subvention are both grants of money, especially governmental, to aid private undertakings. A subsidy is usually given to promote commercial enterprise: a subsidy to manufacturers during a war. A subvention is usually a grant to stimulate enterprises connected with science and the arts: a subvention to a research chemist by a major company.

Other words from subsidy

  • an·ti·sub·si·dy, noun, plural an·ti·sub·si·dies.
  • non·sub·si·dy, noun, plural non·sub·si·dies.

Words Nearby subsidy

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

How to use subsidy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subsidy

subsidy

/ (ˈsʌbsɪdɪ) /


nounplural -dies
  1. a financial aid supplied by a government, as to industry, for reasons of public welfare, the balance of payments, etc

  2. English history a financial grant made originally for special purposes by Parliament to the Crown

  1. any monetary contribution, grant, or aid

Origin of subsidy

1
C14: from Anglo-Norman subsidie, from Latin subsidium assistance, from subsidēre to remain, from sub- down + sedēre to sit

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

Cultural definitions for subsidy

subsidy

A grant made by a government to some individual or business in order to maintain an acceptable standard of living or to stimulate economic growth.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.