A small amount of money, especially one that is inadequate or insufficient as payment.
From Old French 'pitance' (allowance of food), possibly from 'pite' (pity/compassion). Medieval monasteries distributed small food allowances called 'pitances' to poor visitors, hence the meaning of inadequate payment.
This word originated in monasteries where monks gave tiny food portions ('pitances') to beggars, literally institutionalizing the idea of minimal, barely-surviving charity—the word carries centuries of economic inequality baked right in.
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