the.com/gratuity
a voluntary thank-you that somehow became a mandatory math problem at checkout.
means A sum of money given to someone, typically for a service rendered, beyond the basic price — a tip.
from From the Latin 'gratuitas,' meaning a gift or favor, rooted in 'gratus' — pleasing, thankful, grateful. The same warm root gives us 'gratitude' and 'gratis' (free of charge). So at its heart, a gratuity is gratitude rendered in coin — a thank-you with a denomination attached, a sentiment that arrived in English around the 16th century already smelling faintly of obligation.
- latin root
- From gratus, meaning pleasing or thankful.
- once illegal
- Several U.S. states banned tipping around 1900.
- tip myth
- Not actually an acronym for anything historical.
- screen creep
- Tablets now request tips at self-checkout kiosks.
- global oddity
- Tipping can offend servers in Japan.
india severance pay — mandatory lump sum payment to employees in india after 5+ years of service, regulated by the payment of gratuity act 1972
uae gratuity settlement — mandatory end-of-service benefit in uae equal to 21 days' basic salary per year of service for first 5 years, then 30 days per year