gratuity
/ɡɹəˈtuːətɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.64 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Euphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
noun
Euphemistic form of bribe.
Example Sentences
- "service gratuity"
- "cash gratuity"
- "leave with a gratuity"
- "The waiter received a generous gratuity."
- "The company gave each employee a retirement gratuity."
- "Restaurants in places such as Kansas City, Atlanta and Philadelphia have begun adding automatic 20% gratuities to checks, during the tournament, according to industry groups and restaurant operators."
Etymology
From Middle French gratuité (from Old French gratuite) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *gʷerH-, gratuité, gratuite, gratuitas, gratuitus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɡɹəˈtuːətɪ/
- British English: /ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/