pittance

/ˈpɪtəns/

Etymology

From Middle English pitaunce, from Old French pitance, pitence, from Medieval Latin *pietāntia, from Latin pietās (“piety”).

Why this word is great

PITTANCE — [Noun] A very small or inadequate amount of money, food, or resources. From Middle English pitaunce, via Old French pitance and Medieval Latin pietāntia, ultimately rooted in Latin pietās ("piety, kindness")—a cruel irony, given how little kindness a pittance affords. Unlike a "stipend" (which implies regularity, if modesty) or a "windfall" (which suggests abundance), a pittance is the insult of scarcity disguised as generosity. It is the single coin pressed into a beggar’s palm, the thin broth served to prisoners, the wage that vanishes before rent is due—a mockery of sustenance, a whisper of survival where a shout is needed. The word lingers like the taste of dust.

noun

A small allowance of food and drink; a scanty meal.
A meagre allowance of money or wages.“In the very prime of life, Mr. Glentworth found every prospect gone; he had only a meagre pittance, compared to his former expenditure; but he had neither the habits nor the opportunity of increasing it.”
A small amount.“The former residents of Fraguas, who sold up for a pittance, have swung behind the resettlement, happy to see life return to the narrow lanes where they grew up.”