pension

[ pen-shuh n; French pahn-syawn for 3 ]
/ ˈpɛn ʃən; French pɑ̃ˈsyɔ̃ for 3 /

noun, plural pen·sions [pen-shuh nz; French pahn-syawn for 3] /ˈpɛn ʃənz; French pɑ̃ˈsyɔ̃ for 3/.

a fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or to the person's surviving dependents in consideration of past services, age, merit, poverty, injury or loss sustained, etc.: a retirement pension.
an allowance, annuity, or subsidy.
(in France and elsewhere in continental Europe)
  1. a boardinghouse or small hotel.
  2. room and board.

verb (used with object)

to grant or pay a pension to.
to cause to retire on a pension (usually followed by off).

Origin of pension

1325–75; Middle English (< Old French pensïon) < Latin pēnsiōn- (stem of pēnsiō) a weighing out, hence, a paying out, installment paying, equivalent to pēns(us) (past participle of pendere to weigh out, pay by weight, equivalent to pend- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM pension

Words nearby pension

pensacola bay, pensel, penshurst place, pensil, pensile, pension, pension fund, pension mortgage, pension off, pension plan, pensionary

British Dictionary definitions for pension off (1 of 3)

pension off

verb (tr, adverb)

to cause to retire from a post and pay a pension to
to discard, because old and worn to pension off submarines

British Dictionary definitions for pension off (2 of 3)

pension 1
/ (ˈpɛnʃən) /

noun

a regular payment made by the state to people over a certain age to enable them to subsist without having to work
a regular payment made by an employer to former employees after they retire
a regular payment made to a retired person as the result of his or her contributions to a personal pension scheme
any regular payment made on charitable grounds, by way of patronage, or in recognition of merit, service, etc a pension paid to a disabled soldier

verb

(tr) to grant a pension to

Derived forms of pension

pensionable, adjective pensionless, adjective

Word Origin for pension

C14: via Old French from Latin pēnsiō a payment, from pendere to pay

British Dictionary definitions for pension off (3 of 3)

pension 2
/ French (pɑ̃sjɔ̃) /

noun (in France and some other countries)

a relatively cheap boarding house
another name for full board

Word Origin for pension

C17: French; extended meaning of pension grant; see pension 1

Cultural definitions for pension off

pension

Payments made to a retired person either by the government or by a former employer.