a tithe, means the tenth-part of something, usually income, paid to a religious organization. a tithe can be seen as a tax, a fee for a service or a voluntary contribution. tithing came from the book of numbers. in ancient israel, the tribes of levites were the priests. the other tribes gave tithes to the tribes of levies because they had been given no land in canaan. tithes may be money or crops or other valuable thing.