From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpittancepit‧tance /ˈpɪtəns/ noun [singular] PAY somebody FOR WORKLITTLE/NOT VERYa 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.work/be sold for a pittance The crop was sold for a pittance. She raised three children on a pittance.
Examples from the Corpus
pittance• And no wonder new purchases of bond funds are a pittance compared with what people shovel into stock funds.• They expect their staff to work hard, but the wages they pay are a pittance.• You should be prepared to work very hard for a pittance.• He would merely do the job and get a pittance.• He only pays me a pittance.• I could identify by sight just about 500 of its species -- a pittance of its total diversity.• No more than a pittance, really, and it made me glad to think about his disappointment.• 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.• 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.From Longman Business Dictionarypittancepit‧tance /ˈpɪtəns/ noun [singular] a very small or unfairly small amount of moneyShe gets paid a pittance.Origin pittance (1200-1300) Old French pitance “piety, pity”, from Latin pietas; → PITY1 