pension

[pen-shuhn, pahn-syawn]

noun

plural

pensions 

1. a fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or to the person's surviving dependents in consideration of past services, age, merit, poverty, injury or loss sustained, etc..

   a retirement pension.

2. an allowance, annuity, or subsidy.

3. (in France and elsewhere in continental Europe)

   1. a boardinghouse or small hotel.

   2. room and board.

verb (used with object)

1. to grant or pay a pension to.

2. to cause to retire on a pension (usually followed byoff ).

pension

¹

/ ˈpɛnʃən /

noun

1. a regular payment made by the state to people over a certain age to enable them to subsist without having to work

2. a regular payment made by an employer to former employees after they retire

3. a regular payment made to a retired person as the result of his or her contributions to a personal pension scheme

4. any regular payment made on charitable grounds, by way of patronage, or in recognition of merit, service, etc

   a pension paid to a disabled soldier

verb

1. (tr) to grant a pension to

pension

²

/ pɑ̃sjɔ̃ /

noun

1. a relatively cheap boarding house

2. another name for full board

pension

1. Payments made to a retired person either by the government or by a former employer.

Other Word Forms

• pensionable adjective
• pensionably adverb
• pensionless adjective
• nonpensionable adjective
• unpensionable adjective
• unpensioned adjective
• unpensioning adjective
• well-pensioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pension¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French pensïon, from Latin pēnsiōn-, stem of pēnsiō “measured weight,” hence, “payment, rent,” from pēns(us) “weighed” (past participle of pendere “to hang, weigh out, pay by weight”) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of pension¹

C14: via Old French from Latin pēnsiō a payment, from pendere to pay

Origin of pension²

C17: French; extended meaning of pension grant; see _pension ¹

Example Sentences

I don’t need the money, as I have my pension and I am currently 90% disabled and comfortable.

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that people whose only income comes from the state pension will not have to pay tax.

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I bring in $7,200 a month from my pension and disability benefits.

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The cap on salary sacrifice arrangement will hit both workers and businesses, who may reduce future pension contributions, pay rises or investment in growing their business.

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Speaking of the members who have died, he added: "It's sad that they never got to receive pensions that they deserved."

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Related Words

• allowance 
• annuity 
• grant 
• payment 
• premium 
• retirement account www.thesaurus.com
• reward 
• social security 
• subsidy