Pittance An allowance of victuals over and above bread and wine. Anthony du Pinet, in his
translation of Pliny, applies the term over and over again to figs and beans. The word originally
comes from the people's piety in giving to poor mendicants food for their subsistence. (Probably
connected with pietas. Monkish Latin, pietancia; Spanish, pitar, to distribute a dole of food;
pitancero, one who distributes the dole, or a begging friar who subsists by charity.)

And now pittance means a stingy amount.