the.com/voucher
a slip of paper that swears you're owed something, until the fine print disagrees
means a document or token that confirms a payment, entitlement, or claim — exchangeable for goods, services, or money, or serving as proof that something is true.
from From the verb "vouch," meaning to guarantee or bear witness, which came through Old French "voucher" (to summon, call upon) from Latin "vocare," to call — itself rooted in "vox," voice. So a voucher is literally a thing that speaks up on your behalf: paper raising its hand to swear you're good for it. The "-er" ending turned the act of vouching into the object that does the vouching.
- latin root
- from vocare, to call or summon as witness
- breakage profit
- billions in gift cards die unredeemed yearly
- war money
- ration vouchers fed entire nations through WWII
- legal weight
- a voucher can function as a binding promise
tesco clubcard vouchers — uk supermarket loyalty program distributing £billions in discounts annually since 1995
childcare vouchers uk — tax-free employer benefit allowing parents to set aside up to £243/month for childcare costs