tithe
Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
tithe
(tīth)n.
1.
a. A portion of one's annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, especially a contribution of one tenth of one's income for the support of the clergy or church.
b. The institution or obligation of paying tithes.
2. A tax or assessment of one tenth.
3.
a. A tenth part.
b. A very small part.
v. tithed, tith·ing, tithes
v.tr.
1. To pay (a portion of one's income) as a tithe.
2. To levy a tithe on.
v.intr.
To pay a tithe.
[Middle English, tithe consisting of a tenth part of one's goods or income, from Old English tēotha, tenth, tithe; see dekm̥ in Indo-European roots.]
tith′a·ble (tī′thə-bəl) adj.
tith′er n.
Word History: A tithe is a tenth, etymologically speaking; in fact, tithe is the old ordinal numeral in English. Sound changes in the prehistory of English are responsible for its looking so different from the word ten. Tithe goes back to a prehistoric West Germanic form *tehuntha-, formed from the cardinal numeral *tehun, "ten," and the same ordinal suffix that survives in Modern English as -th. The n disappeared before the th in the West Germanic dialect area that gave rise to English, and eventually yielded the Old English form tēothe, "tenth," still not too different from the cardinal numeral tīen. But over time, as the former became tithe and the latter ten, and as tithe developed the specialized meaning "a tenth part paid as a tax," it grew harder to perceive a relationship between the two. The result was that speakers of English created a new word for the ordinal, tenth, built with the cardinal numeral ten on the pattern of the other regularly formed ordinal numerals like sixth or seventh.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tithe
(taɪð)n
1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (often plural) Christianity a tenth part of agricultural or other produce, personal income, or profits, contributed either voluntarily or as a tax for the support of the church or clergy or for charitable purposes
2. (Historical Terms) any levy, esp of one tenth
3. a tenth or very small part of anything
vb
4. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (tr)
a. to exact or demand a tithe or tithes from (an individual or group)
b. to levy a tithe upon (a crop or amount of produce, etc)
5. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (intr) to pay a tithe or tithes
[Old English teogoth; related to Old Frisian tegotha, Old Saxon tegotho, Old High German zehando, Old Norse tīundi, Gothic taihunda]
ˈtither n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tithe
(taɪð)n., v. tithed, tith•ing. n.
1. Sometimes, tithes. the tenth part of goods or income paid as a tax for the support of the church.
2. any tax or levy esp. of one-tenth.
3. a tenth part or small part of something.
v.t. 4. to give or pay a tithe of (goods or money).
5. to give or pay tithes on, as income.
6. to exact a tithe from.
7. to levy a tithe on, as money.
v.i. 8. to give or pay a tithe.
[before 900; Middle English ti(ghe)the, Old English teogotha tenth]
tith′a•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
tithe
Past participle: tithed
Gerund: tithing
| Imperative |
|---|
| tithe |
| tithe |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | tithe - a levy of one tenth of something levy - a charge imposed and collected |
| 2. | tithe - an offering of a tenth part of some personal income offering - money contributed to a religious organization | |
| Verb | 1. | tithe - exact a tithe from; "The church was tithed" tithe - levy a tithe on (produce or a crop); "The wool was tithed" |
| 2. | tithe - levy a tithe on (produce or a crop); "The wool was tithed" tithe - exact a tithe from; "The church was tithed" | |
| 3. | tithe - pay one tenth of; pay tithes on, especially to the church; "He tithed his income to the Church" tithe - pay a tenth of one's income, especially to the church; "Although she left the church officially, she still tithes" | |
| 4. | tithe - pay a tenth of one's income, especially to the church; "Although she left the church officially, she still tithes" pay - give money, usually in exchange for goods or services; "I paid four dollars for this sandwich"; "Pay the waitress, please" tithe - pay one tenth of; pay tithes on, especially to the church; "He tithed his income to the Church" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tithe
noun tax, levy, duty, assessment, tribute, toll, tariff, tenth, impost The early church prescribed a tithe for its members.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
delme
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995