Tontine: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Tontine noun. A scheme in which investors share a fund’s income, the last survivor taking everything.
How to say it
TON-teen/ˈtɒntiːn/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (TON).
Tontine in a sentence
The two elderly brothers were the last members of a tontine, and each hoped to outlive the other.
The tontine paid out handsomely, though nobody liked to dwell on why the shares kept growing.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- annuity scheme
Where tontine comes from
Named after Lorenzo de Tonti, a Neapolitan banker who proposed such a scheme in France in the 1650s.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The _____ paid out handsomely, though nobody liked to dwell on why the shares kept growing.
- oligarchy
- largesse
- tontine
Show the answer
tontine: The tontine paid out handsomely, though nobody liked to dwell on why the shares kept growing.