English Reference
Noun

stipend

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈstaɪpənd/ UK /stˈaɪpənd/ stipend UK spelling stipend's, stipend's Education

n.a fixed amount of money paid regularly to someone, often to cover living costs while they study or do research. It is usually not a full salary for a job.

n.a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses. Often associated with academic fellowships, internships, or religious offices rather than standard hourly or salaried employment.


SIMPLE

The university provides a monthly stipend for graduate students.

CONTEXTUAL

As part of the internship program, the company offers a small stipend to help cover the cost of commuting and lunch.

COMPLEX

While the research fellowship does not offer a full professional salary, the provided stipend is sufficient to cover basic living expenses in most university towns.

Usage

Often paired with the preposition 'for' to indicate the purpose or recipient.

Pitfall
He earns a high stipend at the law firm.He earns a high salary at the law firm.

A stipend is a modest allowance for expenses or training; 'salary' is the correct term for professional employment pay.

One study found that only 10% of California drivers are receiving the healthcare stipend that the law established.

The Conversation· 7 Aug 2026

Wages or stipends even the playing field with the adults, who are also being paid to work for the good of the city.

The Conversation· 23 Jul 2026

The noun is derived from Late Middle English stipend, stipende (“salary, wage”) [and other forms], from Old French stipende, stipendie, from Latin stīpendium (“contribution; dues; impost, tax; tribute; military pay or stipend; military service”), from stipipendium, stippendium, from stips (“alms; contribution, donation, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steyp- (“erect; stiff”)) + pendere (the present active infinitive of pendō (“to cause to hang down or suspend; to weigh, weigh out; (hence) to pay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- (“to pull; to spin; to stretch”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian stipendio * Portuguese estipêndio * Spanish estipendio

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *(s)pend-
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated