pittancepit‧tance /ˈpɪtəns/ noun [singular] 
The musicians earn a pittance.work/be sold for a pittance The crop was sold for a pittance. She raised three children on a pittance.
WORD ORIGINpittance
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French pitance ‘piety, pity’, from Latin pietas; ➔ PITY1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- In the poorest parts of the country, children work 12-hour days for a mere pittance.
- Smith's salary is a mere pittance compared with others in the NBA.
- They expect their staff to work hard, but the wages they pay are a pittance.
- And no wonder new purchases of bond funds are a pittance compared with what people shovel into stock funds.
- He only pays me a pittance.
- He would merely do the job and get a pittance.
- I could identify by sight just about 500 of its species -- a pittance of its total diversity.
- If she was so genteel, she wouldn't have come here for the pittance she's paid.
- Jack's only complaint was that the pittance he was paid hardly reflected the responsibility placed upon him.
- No more than a pittance, really, and it made me glad to think about his disappointment.
- You should be prepared to work very hard for a pittance.
Longman Language Activatorpay that is too low
· Low pay is one of the disadvantages of working in publishing.· These jobs are unattractive because of low pay and inadequate training.
an unfairly small amount of money paid to someone for their work: · In the 19th century, children worked long hours in factories for a pittance.· Compared to what some people earn, my salary is a pittance.
informal an unfairly small amount of money paid to someone for their work: · "It's not fair," she said. "He pays me peanuts, and he expects me to work late as well."
too little money: paltry sum/amount/pay/value etc such a small amount, sum etc that it is insulting to the people it is paid to: · Club owners in Kansas City paid paltry wages to jazz musicians but gave them steady work.· Last year workers were offered a paltry raise of only one percent.a paltry £1/$5 etc: · Many of the workers in the factory received a paltry $2 a day.
formal, especially written a derisory amount of money that you are offered or paid is so small that it is not worth considering seriously: · Government increases in health expenditure are derisory.a derisory £10/$100/10% etc: · The company's profits increased 35%, but they've only offered a derisory 2.5% pay increase.
an extremely small amount of money, especially when you think the people who are being paid it are being treated unfairly: · They expect their staff to work hard, but the wages they pay are a pittance.a mere/absolute pittance: · In the poorest parts of the country, children work 12-hour days for a mere pittance.
informal a surprisingly small amount of money - use this when you are comparing two prices or amounts: · The workers get paid peanuts.· He's got so much money, $500 is just peanuts to him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The musicians earn a pittance. The crop was sold for a pittance.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
a very small amount of money, especially wages, that is less than someone needs or deserves OPP fortuneearn/be paid a pittance The musicians earn a pittance. The crop was sold for a pittance.· In the process, the landless poor, whose numbers grow every day, try to earn a pittance.· By earning a pittance as a contributor to learned periodicals, she managed from time to time to share rooms in London with friends.
· At the other end of the business, the actual drivers get paid a pittance out of what is left over.· He only pays me a pittance.
The musicians earn a pittance.work/be sold for a pittance The crop was sold for a pittance. She raised three children on a pittance.