dole¹ / dōl/ • n. 1. (usu. the dole) chiefly Brit., inf. benefit paid by the government to the unemployed: she is drawing on the dole. ∎ dated a charitable gift of food, clothes, or money. 2. poetic/lit. a person's lot or destiny.• v. [tr.] (dole something out) distribute shares of something: the scanty portions of food doled out to them.PHRASES: on the dole inf. registered as unemployed and receiving benefit from the government.dole² • n. archaic or poetic/lit. sorrow; mourning.

dole 2 (arch.) grief, sorrow, lamentation. XIII. ME. dol, with vars. doel, de(o)l, du(i)l — OF. dol, doel, duel, etc. (mod. deuil mourning) :- pop. L. dolus, f. L. dolēre suffer pain or grief.
Hence doleful XIII.

dole 1 †part, portion OE.; (arch.) share, lot XIII; portion doled out XIV. OE. dāl :- *dailaz; see DEAL 1.
Hence dole vb. XV.