Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An administrative division consisting of ten householders in the old English system of frankpledge.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Tidings.
  • noun In old English law, a decennary; a number or company of about ten householders, or one tenth of a hundred (which see), who, dwelling near each other, were regarded as constituting a distinct community for some purposes of civil order and police regulation, the several members being treated as sureties or free pledges to the king for the good behavior of each other.
  • noun The act of levying or taking tithe; that which is taken as tithe; a tithe.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of levying or taking tithes; that which is taken as tithe; a tithe.
  • noun (O. Eng. Law) A number or company of ten householders who, dwelling near each other, were sureties or frankpledges to the king for the good behavior of each other; a decennary.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A rural division of land, originally corresponding to ten households under the frank-pledge system.
  • verb Present participle of tithe.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English tēoþung.

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Examples

  • When our tithing is about buying nicer pews and brand new song books and a more elaborate lighting system – all while the world starves to death!

    Where Do You Give Charity, and Why? - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com 2007

  • The principle of tithing is starting to develop and some of those funds are starting to be used for area migrant worker outreach or orphanages, but this seems to be in early stages.

    If only one flower stands out, it is not truly spring: a Chinese house church pastor’s perspective 2009

  • Jackson Lears would add another explanation: tithing is like the moment the gambler lays his money down on the table — it “promises at least a fleeting opportunity to contact a realm where hope is alive,” he writes.

    Did Christianity Cause the Crash? 2009

  • Jackson Lears would add another explanation: tithing is like the moment the gambler lays his money down on the table — it “promises at least a fleeting opportunity to contact a realm where hope is alive,” he writes.

    Did Christianity Cause the Crash? 2009

  • No. They give far less to non-church organizations, and church giving is often called tithing, which doesn't have to be used for charity, and is tax deductible.

    MetaFilter Projects 2008

  • Republicans think that the more money they make, the less they have an obligation to do any "tithing" - for the good of everybody.

    Support Vigilante Journalism 2008

  • And I think one of the things that I think will be provocative about this is that some people, despite very dire economic circumstances, insist on tithing, which is paying, you know, 10 percent of their earnings to the church.

    CNN Explores Faith And Debt In Black Community 2010

  • And I think one of the things that I think will be provocative about this is that some people, despite very dire economic circumstances, insist on tithing, which is paying, you know, 10 percent of their earnings to the church.

    CNN Explores Faith And Debt In Black Community 2010

  • And I think one of the things that I think will be provocative about this is that some people, despite very dire economic circumstances, insist on tithing, which is paying, you know, 10 percent of their earnings to the church.

    CNN Explores Faith And Debt In Black Community 2010

  • And I think one of the things that I think will be provocative about this is that some people, despite very dire economic circumstances, insist on tithing, which is paying, you know, 10 percent of their earnings to the church.

    CNN Explores Faith And Debt In Black Community 2010

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