pittance

American  

[pit-ns] / ˈpɪt ns /

noun

1. a small amount or share.

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

3. a scanty income or remuneration.

---

pittance British  

/ ˈpɪtəns /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of pittance

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

Explanation

A pittance is a tiny payment or small reimbursement for work — generally an amount that's inadequate. The restaurant may pay you a pittance, but you can do well if you get a lot of good tips. The word pittance came into English from the Old French word pitance, meaning “allowance of food to a monk or poor person,” which in turn came from the Latin word pietas, meaning “pity.” Although a pittance may have originally meant that you were taking pity on someone with less wealth by giving them money or food, these days when you get a pittance it means that you earn a pitiful wage.

Example Sentences

He thought he was free, but said he was kept on as a military reservist at a pittance.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

But the new funding is a pittance compared to some of his rivals.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

A private real-estate firm has sought to buy Pinnacle’s rent-stabilized apartments in bankruptcy for a pittance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Months later he return to his home region as a member of the British expedition, paid a daily pittance of just a few Nepali rupee coins.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

Hale toiled day and night for a pittance; he rode through storms—hail, lightning, sand—and survived stampedes, guiding the cattle into smaller and smaller circles before they could trample him.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann