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stipend

Etymology and origin of the English word stipend

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈstaɪpɛnd/[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of inherited from Middle English stipendie,[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Latin stīpendium (“tax, tribute; soldier's pay”),[2][3][6][4][5] from *stipipendium, from Latin stips (“small payment, alms”) + pendere (“to weigh, pay”).[2][3][6][4][5] The first element may originally have meant a stalk or some other object used in payments.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The pay of a soldier, and a salary or fixed periodical payment to a clergyman, teacher or official (1432–50 in the OED; 1444–46 in Barnhart).[7][3][6]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the word was used generally of wages and of any fixed periodical payment, such as a pension or allowance (1545).[7] It was especially applied to the pay of clergy, judges and teachers,[1][7] and in modern use often means a scholarship or fellowship allowance for a student.[5][4] A stipendiary magistrate is a paid one, as distinct from unpaid justices.[6]

Timeline

  • before 1425 – stipendy.[3]
  • 1432–50 – a soldier's pay; a salary.[7]
  • 1490 – verb, to pay as a reward.[7]
  • 1545 – any fixed periodic payment.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A fixed, regular payment, such as a salary for services or an allowance, especially to a clergyman or a student.

Word family

  • stipendless

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Stipend.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/stipend. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·