lagniappe
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
-
a small gift, esp one given to a customer who makes a purchase
-
something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus
Etymology
Origin of lagniappe
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; from Louisiana French, from Latin American Spanish la ñapa, la yapa “the addition,” equivalent to la feminine definite article + ñapa, yapa from from Quechua, yapa “that which is added”
Explanation
Say you buy a dozen doughnuts and the baker throws an extra cruller in your box. You've just been given a lagniappe, or a small gift from a merchant to a customer. The word lagniappe tells a fascinating American story. Spanish speakers in the New World took a word from the indigenous Quechua language to make la ñapa, meaning "the gift." Then in New Orleans, where Spanish and French mixed freely, la ñapa got Frenchified into lagniappe. In Louisiana it's still used to refer to a bonus from a friendly merchant when you buy something. You could also call any nice little extra a lagniappe.
Vocabulary lists containing lagniappe
There's A Word for That
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Quiz yourself on these words spoken by the man at the center of the "Laurel" / "Yanny" craze!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ben Zimmer's 30 Great American Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Habituating shoppers to being squeezed for every meager “amenity” sparks a new appreciation for the lagniappe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
There will undoubtedly be some who find nits to pick, but it’s hard to imagine any less-than-obsessed fans unhappy with this lagniappe, apart from its comparative brevity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
The Post offered a lexical lagniappe in the form of “graupel” as reported in the March 27 Metro article “Winter’s remnants linger on Saturday.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
The money that gets taxed is mostly what economists call excess returns and what a Louisianian might call lagniappe — profits in excess of what is necessary to motivate investment.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2021
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.
From Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets and Other Tales by Ruth McEnery Stuart
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
