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An allowance of food bestowed in charity; a mess of victuals; hence, a small charity gift; a dole. "A good pitaunce." Chaucer. One half only of this pittance was ever given him in money. Macaulay.

A scholar at Merton College, Oxford, who has a certain academical allowance or portion; -- corrupted into postmaster. Shipley.

A quarterly allowance.

Established portion or measure; fixed allowance. The one right feeble through the evil rate, Of food which in her duress she had found. Spenser.

A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence.

Allowance to enter again; a second admission.

Exactness without allowance, deviation, or indulgence; strictness; as, the rigor of criticism; to execute a law with rigor; to enforce moral duties with rigor; -- opposed to Ant: lenity.

rves from corruption or error; that which purifies; a corrective; an antiseptic; also, an allowance or deduction; as, his statements must be taken with a grain of salt. Ye are the salt of the earth. Matt. v. 13.

sufficient; less than is wanted for the purpose; scanty; meager; not enough; as, a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment. His sermon was scant, in all, a quarter of an hour. Ridley.

To make too small or short; to limit or straiten; to put on short allowance; to scant; to contract; to shorten; as, to scrimp the pattern of a coat.

limited to a married woman independent of her husband. -- Separate maintenance (Law), an allowance made to a wife by her husband under deed of separation. -- Sep"a*rate*ly, adv. -- Sep"a*rate*ness, n.

ors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms, and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery. The sergeant of the town of Rome them sought. Chaucer. The magistrates sent the…

agitated; to settle questions of law; to settle the succession to a throne; to settle an allowance. It will settle the wavering, and confirm the doubtful. Swift.

together; a bundle; specifically, a bundle of arrows sufficient to fill a quiver, or the allowance of each archer, -- usually twenty-four. The sheaf of arrows shook and rattled in the case. Dryden.

ntity, or extent; to lessen; to abridge; to curtail; to contract; as, to shorten work, an allowance of food, etc. Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain. Dryden.

A settled quantity or allowance. See Assize. [Obs.] "To scant my sizes." Shak.

To make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

hich alleviates or compensates for suffering or loss; a compensation; esp., an additional allowance, as for injured feelings.

.ee under Grafting. -- To splice the main brace (Naut.), to give out, or drink, an extra allowance of spirits on occasion of special exposure to wet or cold, or to severe fatigue; hence, to take a dram.

restrain within certain limits; to bound; to confine; to restrain; to restrict to a scant allowance. I shall not go about to extenuate the latitude of the curse upon the earth, or stint it only to the production of weeds. Woodward. She stints them in their meals. Law.