lagniappe

or la·gnappe

[lan-yap, lan-yap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lagniappe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas. a small gift given with a purchase to a customer, by way of compliment or for good measure; bonus.

a gratuity or tip.

an unexpected or indirect benefit.

Origin of lagniappe

1840–50, Americanism; < Louisiana French < American Spanish la ñapa the addition, equivalent to la feminine definite article + ñapa, variant of yapa < Quechua: that which is added

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lagniappe

gift, bonus, gratuity, tip, largess, present

Examples from the Web for lagniappe

Contemporary Examples of lagniappe

Gramercy Cellars (Greg Harrington, winemaker) in Columbia Valley–-especially “Lagniappe” Syrah.
Taste Off: Super Bowl State Wines From Colorado and Washington
Jordan Salcito
February 1, 2014

Historical Examples of lagniappe

At least, I saw her buy a quartie's worth o' coffee and a quartie's worth o' sugar, an' then ask for lagniappe o' salt.
Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets and Other Tales
Ruth McEnery Stuart
Whyn't you ax fur des one lagniappe o' sugar-plums, baby, bein's it's Christmas?
Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets and Other Tales
Ruth McEnery Stuart
Lagniappe is a small gratuity which New Orleans children always expect and usually get with a purchase.
Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets and Other Tales
Ruth McEnery Stuart
We picked up one excellent word—a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—'lagniappe.'
Life On The Mississippi, Complete
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for lagniappe

lagniappe

lagnappe

noun US

a small gift, esp one given to a customer who makes a purchase

something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus

Word Origin for lagniappe

C19: Louisiana French, from American Spanish la ñapa, from Quechua yápa addition

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lagniappe

"dividend, something extra," 1849, from New Orleans creole, of unknown origin though much speculated upon. Originally a bit of something given by New Orleans shopkeepers to customers. Said to be from American Spanish la ñapa "the gift." Klein says this is in turn from Quechua yapa "something added, gift."

We picked up one excellent word -- a word worth travelling to New Orleans to get; a nice, limber, expressive, handy word -- 'lagniappe.' They pronounce it lanny-yap. It is Spanish -- so they said. [Mark Twain, "Life on the Mississippi"]