a very small amount of money that somebody receives, for example as a wage, and that is hardly enough to live on 微薄的工资;极少的报酬 to pay somebody a pittance 付给某人菲薄的工资 to work for a pittance 为一点小钱而工作 She could barely survive on the pittance she received as a pension. 她靠微薄的养老金勉强度日。
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French pitance, from medieval Latin pitantia, from Latin pietas ‘pity’.