Meanings
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1
noun
a person who receives a pension, especially after retirement
The housing discount is available to every pensioner in the district.
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2
noun
a person financially maintained by another and therefore regarded as dependent on that patron
Opponents dismissed the client king as a pensioner of the foreign court.
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3
noun
at some British universities, a student who pays for tuition and maintenance rather than holding a scholarship
The register lists him as a pensioner rather than a scholar of the college.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English pensioner, through Anglo-Norman pensionner and Old French pensionnier, from Medieval Latin pensionarius. It originally denoted anyone receiving a regular payment, which explains both the modern retiree and historical dependent senses.