lagniappe
or la·gnappe
[lan-yap, lan-yap]
- 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.
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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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lagniappe
Contemporary Examples
Gramercy Cellars (Greg Harrington, winemaker) in Columbia Valley–-especially “Lagniappe” Syrah.
Historical Examples
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 TalesRuth 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 TalesRuth 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 TalesRuth 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, CompleteMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
lagniappe
lagnappe
- a small gift, esp one given to a customer who makes a purchase
- something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for lagniappe
n.
"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"]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper