baksheesh

American  

[bak-sheesh, bak-sheesh] / ˈbæk ʃiʃ, bækˈʃiʃ /

Or bakshish,

noun

1. a tip, present, or gratuity.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to give a tip.

baksheesh British  

/ ˈbækʃiːʃ /

noun

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

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verb

1. to give such money to (a person)

Etymology

Origin of baksheesh

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

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

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

From BBC

To put a stop to this, it has been necessary to offer special baksheesh in proportion to the size of the pieces.

From The New Yorker

Egyptians often selectively target tourists, requesting “qing liang you” from Chinese tourists but “baksheesh,” or gratuity, from visitors from other countries.

From The Wall Street Journal

I was immediately enshrouded in a scrim of shouts, laughter, arguments, haggling, vigorous demands for baksheesh.

From Washington Post