Pitance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A meager or trifling amount of money, often insufficient to meet needs
2. An extremely small wage or compensation, typically considered inadequate
3. A paltry sum of money that fails to provide fair payment or reward for work done

Etymology: Pitance has a surprisingly devout origin. In medieval monasteries, a "pitance" was an extra portion of food, often a small delicacy such as wine, fish or a sweet dish, given to the community on feast days or to honour the memory of a deceased benefactor. The word comes from Old French "pitance", meaning a pious gift or an allowance of food, which in turn descends from medieval Latin "pietantia", "act of charity or pity", from Latin "pietas", duty and devotion. The word entered English around the 14th century, and its sense of a meagre allowance of food arrived alongside the older monastic meaning. Over the following centuries, the word's sense of generosity drained away. A portion of food given out of piety became a small, grudging ration, and by the 17th century "pitance" was used for any niggardly allowance, especially a payment for labour. That shift explains the modern meaning: a wage so small it seems like a charitable handout rather than fair pay. The word thus kept its original idea of a gift while losing the generosity behind it.

Synonyms: meager wage, trifle, peanut

Antonyms: fortune, abundance, plenty