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

• dime
• peanuts

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

Universal eventually stepped in to bankroll a spin-off movie, though the $39 million budget was a pittance in space opera terms. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025

The movie was shot for a pittance, on 16-mm., over a number of years, on the streets of South Central Los Angeles; few members of the cast were professional actors. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Trying to move in earlier to accommodate a pittance of an audience is mind boggling stupidity. —Pol Ballus, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

And the mitigation the Kraft Group is offering is a pittance of the amount the city should be getting for a 25,000 seat stadium. —Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for pittance

• acquittance
• admittance
• emittance
• remittance
• transmittance

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Kids Definition

pittance

noun

pit·​tance ˈpit-ᵊn(t)s 

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