dole

Noun

a share of money or food or clothing that has been charitably given
money received from the state
Money or other goods given as charity.
Distribution; dealing; apportionment.
Payment by the state to the unemployed; unemployment benefits.
A boundary; a landmark.
A void space left in tillage.
A sorrow or grief; dolour.
Dolus.

Verb

To distribute in small amounts; to share out small portions of a meager resource.

Examples

"I get my dole paid twice a week."
"I've been on the dole for two years now."

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English dol, from Old English dāl (“portion, share, division, allotment”), from Proto-Germanic *dailą (“part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰayl- (“part, watershed”). Cognate with Old Church Slavonic дѣлити (děliti, “divide”). More at deal.

Synonyms

pancrack, pogey, pogy

Scrabble Score: 5

dole is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
dole is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
dole is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 6

dole is a valid Words With Friends word