1. a financial arrangement in which participants contribute to a common fund, with benefits going to surviving members as others die
Usage: historical; finance
2. the common fund or annuity created by such an arrangement
Usage: historical; finance

Examples

• The elderly neighbors formed a tontine to ensure financial security in their later years.
• As members of the tontine died, the remaining participants received larger payments.
• The tontine was a popular investment vehicle in 18th-century Europe.
• She inherited her share of the family tontine when her uncle passed away.
• The insurance company offered a modern version of the traditional tontine.
• Historical records show that tontines were often used to fund public projects.