Meaning of PITTANCE
| Pronunciation: | | 'pitns
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 WordNet Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | | [n] an inadequate payment; "they work all day for a mere pittance" |
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| | See Also: | | payment | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | | \Pit"tance\ (p[i^]t"tans), n. [OE. pitance, pitaunce,
F. pitance; cf. It. pietanza, LL. pitancia, pittantia,
pictantia; perh. fr. L. pietas pity, piety, or perhaps akin
to E. petty. Cf. {Petty}, and {Pity}.]
1. An allowance of food bestowed in charity; a mess of
victuals; hence, a small charity gift; a dole. ``A good
pitaunce.'' --Chaucer.
One half only of this pittance was ever given him in
money. --Macaulay.
2. A meager portion, quantity, or allowance; an
inconsiderable salary or compensation. ``The small
pittance of learning they received.'' --Swift.
The inconsiderable pittance of faithful professors.
--Fuller.
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| Thesaurus Terms |
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| | Related Terms: | | ace, alms, alms fee, atom, bit, charity, collection, contribution, dab, dole, donation, donative, dot, dram, dribble, driblet, dwarf, farthing, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, gobbet, grain, granule, groat, hair, half rations, handful, handout, inadequacy, insufficiency, iota, jot, little, little bit, mere subsistence, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, modicum, molecule, mote, nutshell, offering, offertory, ounce, particle, peanuts, pebble, pinch, point, scrap, scrimption, scruple, shoestring, short allowance, short commons, small potatoes, smidgen, smitch, speck, spoonful, spot, starvation wages, subscription, thimbleful, tiny bit, tithe, tittle, trace, trifling amount, trivia, votive offering, whit |
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