/sub"si dee/ , n. , pl. subsidies .
1. a direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial undertaking, a charity organization, or the like.
2. a sum paid, often in accordance with a treaty, by one government to another to secure some service in return.
3. a grant or contribution of money.
4. money formerly granted by the English Parliament to the crown for special needs.
[ 1325-75; ME subsidie subsidium auxiliary force, reserve, help, equiv. to sub- SUB- + sid-, comb. form of sedere to SIT 1 + -ium -IUM ]
Syn. 1. SUBSIDY, SUBVENTION are both grants of money, especially governmental, to aid private undertakings. A SUBSIDY is usually given to promote commercial enterprise: a subsidy to manufacturers during a war. A SUBVENTION is usually a grant to stimulate enterprises connected with science and the arts: a subvention to a research chemist by a major company.