Subventio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An act of providing financial aid or support, often directed towards a cause or project
2. a form of subsidization that helps bolster artistic, educational, or cultural initiatives
3. financial assistance granted by an entity to stimulate or sustain a particular endeavor

Etymology: Its Latin ancestor, "subvenire," meant to come up from below to help someone in trouble, as if rushing to lift a fallen person. The verb joined "sub-" (under, or here, from below) to "venire" (to come), and it was used of aid in general, not of money specifically. The financial sense came later, as the noun "subventio" in Late Latin came to mean a grant or relief, usually given by a government or institution. English borrowed the word from Latin and French forms during the early modern period, and it has kept its core idea of a supporting payment. Today it is most often used for public money given to industries, theatres or other enterprises that could not survive on their own earnings.