What does tithing mean?
Tithing names a payment, contribution, or system of giving that amounts to one tenth. In its historical sense, it refers to the tax-like dues owed by many European Christians to the medieval church, commonly paid in crops, livestock, or labor and collected through parish officials. Such payments were an important part of medieval church finances, while opposition to them contributed to religious and political conflict. In contemporary religious and charitable settings, tithing often has a broader and more voluntary sense: donating roughly one tenth of one’s income or a project’s proceeds to a church or cause. The expression can therefore sound archaic and institutional when used historically, but earnest and aspirational in modern fundraising contexts. For general readers, tithing is useful because it connects an everyday practice of proportional generosity with a complex social history: a once-compulsory system of religious support and a modern choice to give a fixed share.
nounA contribution or payment consisting of a tenth of income, produce, or proceeds, especially one made to a religious institution. Historically, it referred to a tax-like payment owed to the medieval church or to the system of collecting such payments.
- A voluntary or customary contribution amounting to a tenth, especially to a religious institution or charitable cause.
- Historically, a payment or tax-like obligation of one tenth owed to the medieval church.
- The practice or organized system of collecting or paying such tenths.
"The congregation encourages tithing as a way of funding its outreach work."
"The congregation encourages tithing as a way of funding its outreach work."
"The abbey accounts record a tithing paid in grain and wool."
The standard plural is used when referring to separate tenth-part payments, contributions, or recorded obligations.
"The court rolls listed several tithings of grain and wool owed by local tenants."
Medieval tithes were not merely donations; they could be collected like taxes, often in grain, livestock, or labor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of tithing
Tithing is a Middle English formation based on Old English tēoþan, meaning “to give a tenth.” This belongs to a family of Germanic forms derived from the numeral for ten, ultimately from the Indo-European root for “ten.” Related English words such as tenth, dozen, and decade reflect that same numerical ancestry.
Related word forms
How tithing is actually used
The word is chiefly historical or archaic when referring to the compulsory medieval church payment. In modern religious and charitable contexts, it usually describes a voluntary contribution of roughly one tenth, although this usage can sound aspirational or promotional.
Easily confused with tithing
A tithing is a contribution or the system of making such contributions, whereas a tithe is an individual payment or contribution amounting to a tenth.