pittance

noun pit·tance \ ˈpi-tᵊn(t)s \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of pittance

: a small portion, amount, or allowance; also : a meager wage or remuneration

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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 of pittance from the Web

Locals often assume that outsiders prowling their land are government officials bent on appropriating tracts for a pittance in order to develop them, Prasad says.

— sanjay kumar, Science | AAAS, "India’s paleontologists fight destruction of its fossil riches," 4 Apr. 2018
Tenants’ advocates say that figure is a pittance considering the billion-dollar needs of the city’s housing stock.

— vivian wang and jesse mckinley, New York Times, "9 Key Issues Await Albany in Final Week of Budget Negotiations," 25 Mar. 2018
These subterranean retreats often get a pittance of our decorating attention and resources.

— lisa marie hart, USA TODAY, "Take a fresh approach to updating your entire house," 25 Mar. 2018
Since the residents don’t contribute their data to the AI companies, their monthly UBI is a pittance.

— jules julien, Smithsonian, "What Will Our Society Look Like When Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere?," 21 Mar. 2018
Saldaña so far has raised a pittance in campaign funds compared with Fletcher and two other leading candidates, Republican former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Democratic attorney Omar Passons.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Lori Saldaña at the center of a political storm, again," 17 Mar. 2018
Instead, the schools get to pay a voluntary pittance in property taxes while turning the neighborhoods into college playgrounds.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Letters to the editor of the Boston Globe Magazine," 9 Mar. 2018
She was fined a pittance ($82,500) and given a slap on the wrist.

— chris chase, For The Win, "The 15 moments that have defined Serena Williams' career (so far)," 9 Mar. 2018
Tumul gave Joe his land for a pittance but died before his people saw more than a secondhand truck out of the deal.

— sean flynn, Smithsonian, "The Reckoning," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pittance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of pittance

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

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