tithe

noun

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.”

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.”

   “That there is and from time immemorial has been within that part of the parish called Mablethorpe St. Mary's a laudable custom that, if any outdweller take ancient pasture ground, he shall pay a modus of 4d. an acre, and so in proportion, on the 1st of August, in lieu of all manner of tithe; and that if any of the ancient pasture be once ploughed up or meadowed, it shall, when restored to pasture again, pay 4d. the acre in the hands of such outdweller.”

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.”

   “I scarcely know any thing that really interests me, and I would give a great deal not to be so quick-sighted as I am; it would be so pleasant to believe only a tithe of the professions that are made me.”

adj

1. (archaic, not-comparable)Tenth.

   “Euery tythe ſoule, 'mongſt many thouſand diſmes,”

verb

1. (transitive)To give one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “He teoðode gynd eall his cyne rice ðone teoðan del ealra his landa.”

   “A reply sent to a young member by the sect's letter-answering department was more precise: ‘A person working for wages is to tithe one-tenth of the total amount of his wages before income tax, national health, or other deductions are removed.’”

2. (transitive)To give one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “...ge tiogoðiað eowre mintan & eowerne dile & eowerne kymen.”

   “The maner of tiething pigge and gose is, yf one have vijᵗʰ, to pay one.”

   “Here with the sacred money [Xenophon] built an altar and a temple, and ever after, year by year, tithed the fruits of the land in their season and did sacrifice to the goddess.”

3. (intransitive)To give one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “Þe prest þe meneȝeð rihtliche teðien.”

   “They went to the Six Hickories church—tithed—and behaved themselves.”

4. (figuratively, intransitive)To give one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “These slaves are either the sonnes of Christians, tithed in their childhoods, Captives taken in the warres, or Renegadoes.”

   “Former Southern officers prospered and tithed up to 50 percent for Civil War II, which never came.”

5. To take one-tenth or a tithe of something, particularly

   “gif we teoðiað þas gearlican dagas, þonne beoð þær six and ðritig teoðing-dagas.”

6. (transitive)To take one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “Leeuy, that took tithis, is tithid.”

   “The cost... has been defrayed by tithing the whole Mormon Church. Those who reside at Nauvoo... have been obliged to work every tenth day in quarrying stone.”

7. (transitive)To take one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “Þe folk of Crist was tiþed, þat is to seie, nyne slayn and þe tenþe i-kepte.”

   “The multitude are tith'd, and every tenth only spar'd.”

8. (transitive)To take one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “The Monkes the Priors and holy cloystred Nunnes, Are all in health,...”

   “When the parson or Procter commeth to tythe his wooll.”

9. (obsolete, transitive)To take one-tenth or a tithe of something

   “By decimation, and a tithed death, / ... take thou the destin'd tenth”

   “The Thebane Legion... was first tithed, that is, every tenth man thereof was executed.”

   “Keeping aliue... two principall persons, that they might be tithed with the soldiors... Every tenth man of the Normans they chose out by lot, to be executed.”

10. (intransitive)To take one-tenth or a tithe of something

    “Those who tithe and toll upon them for their spiritual and temporal benefit.”

11. (obsolete, transitive)To compose the tenth part of something.

    “Her sorrowes did not tith her ioy.”