baksheesh

or bak·shish, bak·shis

[ bak-sheesh, bak-sheesh ]

noun

1. a tip, present, or gratuity.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to give a tip.

baksheesh

/ ˈbækʃiːʃ /

noun

1. money given as a tip, a present, or alms

verb

1. to give such money to (a person)

Word History and Origins

Origin of baksheesh¹

First recorded in 1615–25, baksheesh is from the Persian word bakhshish gift

Word History and Origins

Origin of baksheesh¹

C17: from Persian bakhshīsh , from bakhshīdan to give; related to Sanskrit bhaksati he enjoys

Example Sentences

Well, this guy got extremely annoyed because we wouldn’t give him “baksheesh,” which is bribes in the Arab world, and we wouldn’t give him cigarettes and money and pay his quote, fee, unquote.

From MSNBC

To most New Yorkers, Trump was known as a world-class bankrupt and malignant schnorrer, but shows like “Sex and the City,” on which he made a guest appearance, turned him into “a dashing, bemused man in a business suit or black tie, spending money, dispensing advice, insults and baksheesh.”

From New York Times

It followed the example of often despised European countries where stability is unknown, where the promise of entropy is ever present, where baksheesh, gangsterism, clientelism, juntas of cronies are the norms – and where the quality of life is higher than Britain’s.

From The Guardian

Tipping is deeply ingrained in Egypt and a gratuity is known as baksheesh.

From BBC

Rather than acknowledge that many loans were made to Mediterranean countries with full knowledge of their economic weaknesses, he exoticizes their politicians as stuck in a semi-European culture of bribes and nepotism that resembles the baksheesh practices of the Ottomans.

From Slate