~ 1 [ 'pɛnʃ(ə)n ]
■ noun a regular payment made by the state to people of or above the official retirement age and to some widows and disabled people.
↘a regular payment made during a person's retirement from an investment fund to which that person or their employer has contributed during their working life.
↘ chiefly historical a regular payment made to a royal favourite or to enable an artist or scholar to continue their work.
■ verb ( ~ someone off ) dismiss someone from employment and pay them a ~.
↘( ~ something off ) discard something that is unwanted or outdated.
Derivatives
~ability noun
~able adjective
~less adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr., from L. pensio(n-) 'payment', from pendere 'to pay'.
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~ 2 [ pɒ~'sjɒ~ ]
■ noun a small hotel or boarding house in France and other European countries.
Origin
from Fr.