Definition of stipend

The word "stipend" has its origin in the Latin word "stips," meaning "a gift," or more specifically, "a portion of an inheritance." The concept of a stipend first took on a financial meaning during medieval times, when it was used to describe the allowance given by monasteries to student priests in training. This allowed these students to subsist without having to rely solely on alms or donations. Eventually, the word "stipend" came to refer to any regular payment made to a person in order to support them, typically without the expectation of any service or work in return. Today, the term "stipend" is commonly used to describe financial assistance provided to scholars, researchers, or students as part of their academic or professional work or training, or as a means of covering living expenses while traveling or working abroad. Some examples of stipends include research grants, tuition waivers, language learning scholarships, and study abroad stipends. In current usage, "stipend" has a somewhat archaic or formal tone that distinguishes it from more commonly used words like "allowance" or "subsidy." Nonetheless, its usage remains familiar in many academic, scientific, and legal contexts around the world.