| 释义 |
▪ I. pittance, n.|ˈpɪtəns|
Forms: 3–6 pitaunce, 4–6 (8) -ance, (4–6 pyt(t)-, pet-, -ance, -aunce), 6– pittance, (6 -ans, 7 pettance, pittens).
[ME. pita(u)nce, a. OF. pitance, -ence pittance, app. the same word as pitance, pietance pity, ad. L. type *pietāntia, deriv. of pietās (see piety), recorded 1317 in sense ‘pittance’ (so med.L. pidantia, pit(t)antia, etc.), whence also Pr. pitansa, -za, piedansa, pidanza pity, OIt. pietanza pity, later pittance, Sp. pitanza pittance, salary, OPg. pitança charity, later pittance. (A pittance was often provided by a charitable bequest to a convent.)
Other derivations have been suggested, as Gr. πιττάκιον tablet, billet, med.L. picta a small coin of Poitou, and the root pett- of piece, etc. See Diez, Scheler, Littré, Skeat, Körting No. 7106.]
1. A pious donation or bequest to a religious house or order, to provide an additional allowance of food, wine, etc., at particular festivals, or on the anniversary of the benefactor's death, in consideration of masses: hence, the allowance or dole itself; also, the anniversary service. Also fig. Now only Hist.
a1225Ancr. R. 114 Hwar was euer iȝiuen to eni blodletunge so poure pitaunce? Ibid. 412 Forgoð enne dei our pitaunce. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 10446 Synge me a messe For a man þat dede ys; And at myn ese he shal haue, To a pytaunce, þat he wyl craue. c1386Chaucer Prol. 224 He was an esy man to yeue penaunce Ther as he wiste to haue a good pitaunce. c1450Godstow Reg. 605 To the said mynchons, euery yere in the day of his anniuersary, xl. shillings, to a pytaunce into mynde of his sowle. 1463Bury Wills (Camden) 16 To eche monk..xij d. and a petaunce amonges them, eche man a french loof and a quart wyn. c1500Melusine 337 Raymondyn dyde doo send to hys bretheren hermytes besyde theire pytaunce other meetes for recreacion. 1737Ozell Rabelais iii. xxiii. 143 To bequeath..to those good Religious Fathers..many Pitances. 1868Milman St. Paul's vii. 135 Each member and servant of the Chapter received his portion or pittance. 1904Ch. Times 29 Apr. 569/1 The pittance was an occasional relief to the usual strict dietary in the way of some exceptional or extra food or delicacy... In not a few monasteries there were special endowments for certain pittances, usually of early origin.
b. A charitable gift or allowance of food or money; an alms, dole.
c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4513 Thow þat..to þe nedy yeuest no pitaunce. 1413Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) i. xv. 13, I preye..of youre merytis superhabundaunce as grauntyth me of almesse somme pytaunce. 1812S. Rogers Columbus 132 A Pilot..Stopt to solicit at the gate A pittance for his child. 1838–9F. A. Kemble Resid. in Georgia (1863) 92 Their usual requests for pittances of food and clothing.
2. A small allowance or portion of food and drink; a scanty meal; scanty rations or diet. Also fig. Now rare.
1390Gower Conf. III. 31 Min Ere with a good pitance Is fedd of redinge of romance Of Ydoine and of Amadas. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 45 By sotyl crafte a morsel or pitaunce, A rustiler shal sone be redy founde. 1540–1Elyot Image Gov. (1556) 122 b, Such a small pitaunce..as nowe our servauntes would disdeigne. 1578Chr. Prayers in Priv. Prayers (1851) 520 O sacred pittance of our pilgrimage. 1586A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 28 At night againe hauing eaten some small pittance of supper. c1611Chapman Iliad xi. 547 She seru'd a holsome Onion cut For pittance to the potion. 1613R. Cawdrey Table Alph. (ed. 3), Pittance, short banquet. 1647Trapp Comm. 1 Cor. i. 28 [Poor men] have but prisoners pittances, which will keep them alive, and that's all. 1696Phillips (ed. 5), Pittance, any small proportion of Bread, or Meat. 1870Bryant Iliad xii. 520 Some just woman..spinning wool,..that she may provide A pittance for her babes.
b. An allowance, remuneration, or stipend, by way of livelihood. Usually connoting its scanty amount or bare sufficiency.
1714Abp. King in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. IV. 292 That country..yields a clergyman but a small pittance. 1771Gray in Corr. w. Nicholls (1843) 120 Our good uncle Toby will have about four hundred pounds a year, no uncomfortable pittance! 1781Cowper Truth 321 Yon cottager,..Just earns a scanty pittance. 1833H. Martineau Manch. Strike ix. 101 The most skilful work fourteen hours a day for the pittance of one shilling. a1862Buckle Civiliz. (1869) III. ii. 86 The Protestant clergy..had only a miserable pittance whereupon to live.
3. A small portion (of anything) allowed, furnished, or obtained; a (small or sparing) allowance, share, or allotment.
1616Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 4 The well-instructed and modest Householder contenteth himselfe with..such Pittance, Grounds, and Seat as falleth vnto him. 1644Milton Areop. (Arb.) 51 If every action which is good, or evill in man at ripe years, were to be under pittance, and prescription, and compulsion, what were vertue but a name? 1696Whiston Th. Earth (1722) 62 'Tis uncertain whether even that pittance of time can fairly..be allow'd to it. 1749Fielding Tom Jones ii. iii, Her small pittance of wages. 1841Miall in Nonconf. I. 401 The miserable pittance of instruction, the coarsest rudiments of knowledge.
b. A small portion, number, or amount; a small proportion of a whole. (Often with some notion of allowance or allotment.)
1561T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iii. v. (1634) 322 The pardons doe bring out of the storehouse of the Pope, a certaine pitance of grace. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. v. i. §1 Divine Providence,..preserving the inconsiderable pittance of faithful professors against most powerful opposition. 1690Locke Hum. Und. iii. vi. (1695) 244 What a small pittance of Reason and Truth,..is mixed with those huffing Opinions. 1772Monro in Phil. Trans. LXII. 22 There may be a pittance of a calculareous marine salt in the yellow ley. 1856Emerson Eng. Traits, Stonehenge Wks. (Bohn) II. 129 The priest who receives {pstlg}2,000 a year, that were meant for the poor, and spends a pittance on this small beer and crumbs.
▪ II. † ˈpittance, v. Obs.
[f. prec. n.]
trans. To give a (small) pittance to; to allowance.
1647Trapp Comm. Rev. vi. 5 That..men should be stinted and pittanced. 1650C. Elderfield Tythes 157 Gods minister onely is pittanced of what may keep him alive. |