Pittance

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪtəns/

Definitions of pittance

noun a very small or inadequate amount of money paid to someone as an allowance or wage

Example Sentences

A1 She was paid a pittance for all the hard work she did.

A2 The workers were only given a pittance as their salary.

B1 Despite working long hours, he was only paid a pittance.

B2 The company offered a pittance in compensation for the damages caused.

C1 The CEO's salary seemed like a pittance compared to the profits the company made.

C2 The artist refused to perform for such a pittance and demanded a higher fee.

Examples of pittance in a Sentence

formal The workers were paid a mere pittance for their hard work.

informal I can't believe they only paid us a pittance for all that overtime.

slang They're only offering a pittance for this gig, it's not worth it.

figurative His contribution to the project was just a pittance compared to the efforts of the rest of the team.

Grammatical Forms of pittance

• past tense: pittanced
• plural: pittances
• comparative: more pittance
• superlative: most pittance
• present tense: pittances
• future tense: will pittance
• perfect tense: have pittanced
• continuous tense: is pittancing
• singular: pittance
• positive degree: pittance
• infinitive: to pittance
• gerund: pittancing
• participle: pittancing

Origin and Evolution of pittance

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'pittance' originated from the Old French word 'pitance' meaning allowance or ration of food.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to refer to a small portion of food given to monks or soldiers, the word 'pittance' has evolved to mean a small or inadequate amount of money or income.