| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| dole1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  d l |
| NOUN: | 1. Charitable dispensation of goods, especially money, food, or clothing. 2. A share of money, food, or clothing that has been charitably given. 3. Chiefly British The distribution by the government of relief payments to the unemployed; welfare. 4. Archaic One's fate. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: doled, dol·ing, doles
1. To dispense as charity. 2. To give out in small portions; distribute sparingly. See synonyms at distribute. | | IDIOM: | on the dole Receiving regular relief payments from or as if from the government. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English dol, part, share, from Old English d l. See dail- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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