gratuity

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French gratuite (French gratuité), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/
• IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈtuːətɪ/

Noun

gratuity (plural gratuities)

1. An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
2. Euphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
3. Euphemistic form of bribe.

Synonyms

• (additional payment offered in thanks): douceur, grace, pourboire, tip; baksheesh (Turkish and Middle Eastern contexts); cumshaw (SE Chinese contexts; archaic); see also gift
• (obligatory fee): service charge; douceur, tip (euphemistic)
• (bribe): Thesaurus:bribe
• (additional gift from a vendor): lagniappe

Related terms

• gratis
• gratuitous
• gratuitously

Translations

reward provided freely, without obligation

• Bulgarian: паричен подарък m (paričen podarǎk)
• Dutch: fooi (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: trinkmono
• Finnish: juomaraha (fi)
• German: Zuwendung (de) f, Geldgeschenk (de) n, Gratifikation (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hindi: उपदान (hi) m (updān)
• Latin: dōnātīvum n
• Persian: انعام (fa) (an'ām), شتل (fa) (šatal)
• Russian: бонус (ru) m (bonus)
• Spanish: dádiva (es)

service charge

• Bulgarian: бакшиш (bg) m (bakšiš)
• Finnish: juomaraha (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Vergütung (de) f
• Russian: бакшиш (ru) m (bakšiš)

Further reading

• “gratuity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “gratuity”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.