What does backsheesh mean?
Backsheesh is a noun referring to a small tip or gratuity given to servants, porters, guides, or officials, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. Borrowed into English during the era of European travel through the Ottoman Empire, the word derives ultimately from the Persian bakhshish, meaning 'gift' or 'present.' In its historical sense it could also denote a payment made to obtain a favor or hasten official action, edging toward what English speakers would call a bribe. The term appears most often today in travel literature and historical accounts, where it evokes the persistent requests for small payments that travelers encountered abroad. Though still understood, backsheesh has an archaic, somewhat exotic ring; the variant spelling baksheesh is now more frequently encountered. It remains useful for anyone reading nineteenth-century accounts of journeys through Egypt, India, or Turkey, where the word appears constantly as a marker of local custom.
nounA small tip or gratuity given to a servant, guide, porter, or official, especially in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries.
- A tip or gratuity paid for a service rendered, especially in the Middle East and South Asia.
- (Historical) A bribe or payment made to secure a favor or expedite official action.
"The porter expected a little backsheesh for carrying the luggage up three flights of stairs."
"At every checkpoint along the route, the driver slipped the guards a bit of backsheesh to keep things moving."
"Travel writers of the Victorian era complained endlessly about the constant demands for backsheesh from guides and beggars alike."
Rarely pluralized; the word is typically treated as uncountable since tips are usually discussed collectively or individually rather than counted.
"The account book listed the various backsheeshes dispensed to porters and dragomen throughout the journey."
Before 'tipping' was an English habit, travelers in the Ottoman Empire were already being hit up for backsheesh — a word borrowed straight from Persian that means, literally, 'a gift.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of backsheesh
Backsheesh entered English in the seventeenth century from Turkish, which had taken it from the Persian bakhshish, itself derived from the Persian verb bakhshidan, 'to give' or 'to bestow.' The word spread through the languages of the Ottoman world, including Arabic, before being adopted by European travelers and traders. Numerous variant spellings arose in English, including baksheesh, bakshish, and bucksheesh, all pointing back to the same Persian root.
How backsheesh is actually used
The word carries a distinctly old-fashioned, colonial-era flavor in modern English and appears most often in historical or travel writing. It can carry a slightly pejorative connotation when used of bribes or extortionate demands. The spelling 'baksheesh' is more common than 'backsheesh' in contemporary usage.
Easily confused with backsheesh
Baksheesh is simply the more common spelling of the same word; backsheesh is a variant spelling, not a different word.