ˈpench(ə)nə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French pensionnier, from Medieval Latin pensionarius pensionary
1. : a former officer in the Inns of Court responsible for collecting and recording pensions
2. : a student at Cambridge University who pays for his own board, room, and tuition instead of being dependent on a foundation — compare commoner
3. : a person who receives a pension
payments to pensioners of the Spanish-American War
: one subsisting on a pension
the diet of our low-income families, pensioners, unemployed and the institutionalized — C.C.Mitchell
4. obsolete
a. : gentleman-at-arms
b. : a member of a bodyguard : retainer
5.
[modification (influenced by pensioner in earlier senses) of Dutch pensionaris, from Middle Dutch pensionarijs, pensionaris, from Medieval Latin pensionarius pensionary]
archaic : pensionary I 2
6.
[French pensionnaire, from Middle French]
: a boarder in a pension or institution (as a continental school)