dole

dole
\ \ [OE] In Old English, the noun dāl meant simply ‘part, portion’ (it came from a Germanic base *dail-, which also produced English deal).
\ \ By the 14th century this had developed into the more specific ‘portion (of food, money, etc) handed out as a charitable donation to those in need’. This is the source of the phrase on the dolereceiving government benefit’, first recorded in the 1920s. The verb doledistribute’ arose in the 15th century; its modern use, dole out, is an 18th-century development.
\ \ Cf.DEAL

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Dole — Dole …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dole — may refer to: The Grain supply to the city of Rome in ancient times. Since the early 20th Century, a colloquial term referring to government public assistance programs; see Unemployment benefits. Originally it referred to any charitable gift of… …   Wikipedia

  • dôle — ● dôle nom féminin (de la Dôle) Vin rouge du Valais suisse. ● dôle (homonymes) nom féminin (de la Dôle) dol nom masculin dôle n. f. Variété de vin rouge du canton du Valais …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Dole — Dole, n. [AS. d[=a]l portion; same word as d[=ae]l. See {Deal}.] 1. Distribution; dealing; apportionment. [1913 Webster] At her general dole, Each receives his ancient soul. Cleveland. [1913 Webster] 2. That which is dealt out; a part, share, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dole — [dəʊl ǁ doʊl] noun [uncountable] informal old fashioned in Britain, money that the government gives to people who are looking for work; = welfare AmE: • A whole generation of miners ended up on the dole. • unemployed demonstrators protest …   Financial and business terms

  • Dole — Dole, Dolé Sans accent final, le nom désigne celui qui est originaire de la ville de Dole, dans le Jura. Le nom Dolé (variante : Dollé), porté notamment en Picardie et en Normandie, est plus incertain. Il peut renvoyer à un nom de localité, par… …   Noms de famille

  • Dolé — Dole, Dolé Sans accent final, le nom désigne celui qui est originaire de la ville de Dole, dans le Jura. Le nom Dolé (variante : Dollé), porté notamment en Picardie et en Normandie, est plus incertain. Il peut renvoyer à un nom de localité, par… …   Noms de famille

  • Dole — (d[=o]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Doled} (d[=o]ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {Doling}.] To deal out in small portions; to distribute, as a dole; to deal out scantily or grudgingly. [1913 Webster] The supercilious condescension with which even his reputed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dole — (d[=o]l), n. [OE. deol, doel, dol, OF. doel, fr. doloir to suffer, fr. L. dolere; perh. akin to dolare to hew.] grief; sorrow; lamentation. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] And she died. So that day there was dole in Astolat. Tennyson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dole — ► NOUN (often in phrase on the dole) Brit. informal ▪ benefit paid by the state to the unemployed. ► VERB (dole out) ▪ distribute. ORIGIN Old English, «division, portion, or share»; related to DEAL(Cf. ↑deal) …   English terms dictionary

  • dole — dole1 [dōl] n. [ME dol < OE dal, a share, parallel to dæl: see DEAL2] 1. a giving out of money or food to those in great need; relief 2. that which is thus given out 3. anything given out sparingly 4. a form of payment by a government to the… …   English World dictionary

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