Pittance refers to a small portion, amount, or allowance, or a meager wage, sharing etymological roots with 'pity' and 'piety' from the Latin word for compassion.
Pittance se refiere a una pequeña porción, cantidad o asignación, o a un salario escaso. Comparte raíces etimológicas con las palabras "pity" (compasión) y "piety" (piedad), derivando del latín "pietas".
Word | pittance |
---|---|
Date | April 15, 2017 |
Type | noun |
Syllables | PIT-unss |
Etymology | 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. |
Examples | "… chances are good that any snow that might fall in coming days could be like the pittance of flakes that fell Thursday—and then almost immediately melted." — Neil Johnson, The Janesville (Wisconsin) Gazette, 11 Mar. 2017 "It's a setup worthy of Sherlock Holmes: a museum acquires a work of art for a pittance, not quite realizing what it has on its hands, only to discover, quite casually, that the piece in question is a long-lost work by a canonical artist." — Kirkus Reviews, 24 Feb. 2017 |
Definition | : a small portion, amount, or allowance; also : a meager wage or remuneration |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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