gratuity
gruh-TOO-uh-tee
/ɡrəˈtuːəti/
A sum of money given voluntarily or added as a service charge to reward good service; a tip.
Formal and professional term used on printed receipts, invoices, and group dining policies.
The story behind the word. Derived from Medieval Latin 'gratuitas' (free gift) and Latin 'gratus' (pleasing). It entered English in the 16th century to describe gifts given out of goodwill before morphing into the standard formal term for table tips.
Word relationships
- tip: 'Tip' is informal everyday speech, whereas 'gratuity' is formal printed terminology.
- service charge: A service charge is a compulsory fee kept by management, whereas a gratuity traditionally goes directly to staff.
- base price: The standard price of food before additional tips or gratuities are added.
Commonly confused with
- gratitude: 'Gratitude' is the emotion of thankfulness; 'gratuity' is the money given to express that thankfulness.
Word family
- gratuitous (adjective): Given freely or uncalled for.
- gratuitously (adverb): In a free or uncalled-for manner.
Collocations
- added gratuity
- automatic gratuity
- discretionary gratuity
- gratuity included
Example sentences
- "An automatic gratuity of eighteen percent was added to the final check for parties of six or more." Dining policy
- "The hotel invoice listed room service charges and gratuity separately." Accounting
Memory hook
Express GRATitude with money = GRATuity. Money given out of gratitude.
When not to use
Avoid in casual speech where 'tip' is far more natural, such as 'Leave a tip on the bar'.
Fun facts
- In French, the word for tip is 'pourboire' (literally 'for drinking'), and in German it is 'Trinkgeld' ('drink money').
Related words
Explore more words
lump sum, tribute, pension, contribution, Benefactor, compensate
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