Pen"sion (?), n. [F., fr. L.
pensio a paying, payment, fr. pendere, pensum, to
weight, to pay; akin to pend?re to hang. See Pendant,
and cf. Spend.] 1. A payment; a tribute;
something paid or given. [Obs.]
The stomach's pension, and the time's
expense.
Sylvester.
2. A stated allowance to a person in
consideration of past services; payment made to one retired from
service, on account of age, disability, or other cause; especially, a
regular stipend paid by a government to retired public officers,
disabled soldiers, the families of soldiers killed in service, or to
meritorious authors, or the like.
To all that kept the city pensions and
wages.
1 Esd. iv. 56.
3. A certain sum of money paid to a clergyman
in lieu of tithes. [Eng.] Mozley & W.
4. [F., pronounced ?.] A boarding house or
boarding school in France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.
Pen"sion, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Pensioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Pensioning.] To grant a pension to; to pay a regular
stipend to; in consideration of service already performed; --
sometimes followed by off; as, to pension off a
servant.
One knighted Blackmore, and one pensioned
Quarles.
Pope.