tythe

Noun

tithe (plural tithes)

1. (archaic) A tenth.
   • But really that gold was not half
     That a king might have hoped to compel—
     Not a half, not a third, not a tithe.1936, Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, in A Further Range
2. (historical) The tenth part of the increase arising from the profits of land and stock, allotted to the clergy for their support, as in England, or devoted to religious or charitable uses; a tax taking ten percent of land or stock profits, used for religious or charitable purposes.
   • For this is abundantly confuted by the Constitutions and Practice of these Christian States where Tithes have been variously settled, for maintenance of the Evangelical Priest-hood ; and other pious Uses, by legal and civil Tithes, which imply a Debitum Justitiæ.1705, William Forbes, A Treatise of Church-lands & Tithes, page 284

   Synonyms:

   decim, decima, decimate, decimation, tithing, titheling

3. A contribution to one's religious community or congregation of worship (notably to the LDS church).
4. A small part or proportion.
   • Prayers and calling-over seemed twice as short as usual, and before they could get construes of a tithe of the hard passages marked in the margin of their books, they were all seated round, and the Doctor was standing in the middle, talking in whispers to the master.1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days

See all 16 meanings of tithe