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Glite Dictionary
hearth money

hearth money

9.9
An annual payment Catholic families give to support the pope
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : dinero de la chimenea
  • The parish records mention the collection of hearth money each year for the papal treasury.

Examples

  • Catholic families were required to pay hearth money as a sign of loyalty to Rome.

  • Historians study hearth money to understand the financial ties between local communities and the papacy.

  • The church collected hearth money from its parishioners.

  • Many families contribute hearth money every year.

  • Catholic families were required to pay hearth money as a sign of loyalty to Rome.

  • The parish records mention the collection of hearth money each year for the papal treasury.

  • Many families contribute hearth money every year to support their church.

Synonyms

Peter's pence
vshearth money
9.9

An annual collection by Catholic churches to help the Pope

has identical meaning but uses a traditional specific name

Surface Forms

hearth money singular
hearth moneys plural

Morphology

hearth + monies

The parts 'hearth' (home, household) and 'monies' (amounts of money) make it reasonably clear that the term refers to a payment associated with households, so a B1 learner could infer a household-related fee. However, the precise sense — an annual, Roman Catholic payment specifically supporting the papal see — is historically specific and not predictable from the constituents alone, making the expression only partially transparent.

Etymology

Hearth money comes from using the home's hearth, the fireplace, to count households, so people paid money for each hearth. That money was sent 'to support the pope', so the phrase means an annual payment from households to the pope.