pittance

noun

pit·​tance ˈpi-tᵊn(t)s 

: a small portion, amount, or allowance

also : a meager wage or remuneration

Did you know?

It's a pity when you haven't anything but a pittance. And in fact, pity and pittance share etymological roots. The Middle English word pittance came from Anglo-French pitance, meaning "pity" or "piety." Originally, a pittance was a gift or bequest to a religious community, or a small charitable gift. Ultimately, the word comes from the Latin pietas, meaning "piety" or "compassion." Our words pity and piety come from pietas as well.

Synonyms

• chicken feed [slang]
• chump change
• dime
• hay
• mite
• peanuts
• pin money
• shoestring
• song
• two cents

Examples of pittance in a Sentence

the internship offers only a pittance for a salary, but it is a great opportunity to gain experience

Recent Examples on the Web

And educated professionals earn a pittance compared with their counterparts in wealthier countries. —Byemmet Livingstone, science.org, 3 Oct. 2024

That’s a pittance for a guy whose Statcast page is a sea of red ink. —Phil Rogers, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

The state board did find last year that one of the political action committees, the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, failed to disclose its spending in the 2022 governor’s race in a timely manner, but the fine was just $25,500, a pittance compared with its holdings. —Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2024

My once proud pile of pie weights was reduced to a pittance. —Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pitance, from Anglo-French, piety, pity, dole, portion, from Medieval Latin pietantia, from pietant-, pietans, present participle of pietari to be charitable, from Latin pietas piety — more at pity

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

pittance

noun

pit·​tance ˈpit-ᵊn(t)s 

: a small portion, amount, or allowance especially of money