What does bakhshish mean?
Bakhshish is a noun borrowed from Persian (via Urdu and Hindi) that denotes a tip, gratuity, or act of almsgiving, particularly in the social customs of the Middle East and South Asia. In its everyday sense it is the small sum handed to a porter, guide, servant, or gatekeeper in return for service, while in a more charitable register it refers to alms given to beggars or the poor. The word entered English during the era of British engagement with India and the Ottoman world, and it became a fixture of nineteenth-century travel writing, where travelers' endless negotiations over bakhshish were a running theme. Today it survives mainly in historical, literary, and journalistic accounts rather than in ordinary conversation, giving it a distinctly period flavor. Depending on context, bakhshish can suggest generous hospitality, customary courtesy, or the petty extortion of officials expecting payment — a duality that makes it a vivid word for describing economies of favor and obligation.
nounA small gratuity or tip given to a servant, guide, or official, especially in Middle Eastern and South Asian contexts; also, more broadly, alms or a charitable donation.
- A tip or small gratuity given to servants, porters, guides, or officials in the Middle East and South Asia.
- Alms or charitable money given to the poor or to beggars.
"The hotel porter lingered by the luggage, waiting expectantly for his bakhshish."
"A few coins of bakhshish ensured the camel driver's cheerful cooperation all afternoon."
"He pressed bakhshish into the beggar's hand as he passed through the bazaar."
The plural is rare since the word usually denotes an uncountable mass of tips or alms; when counted, the regular English plural applies.
"The tour budget included countless small bakhshishes for drivers, guides, and doorkeepers."
This single word for 'tip' traveled from Persian palaces into Victorian travel diaries and even appears in Kipling — proof that money talks in every language.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bakhshish
Bakhshish derives from Persian bakhshish, meaning 'gift' or 'gratuity', formed from the verb bakhshidan ('to give'). It passed into Urdu and Hindi, and was absorbed into English during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries through contact between British traders, administrators, and travelers and the Persianate and Mughal worlds. Variant spellings such as baksheesh reflect the different routes of transmission into European languages. The underlying Persian root emphasizes giving and bestowal, linking the word to a broader cultural vocabulary of gift-giving and patronage.
How bakhshish is actually used
The word carries an old-fashioned, exotic flavor in modern English and is now largely confined to historical writing, travel literature, and descriptions of colonial-era encounters. It can carry connotations of petty bribery when offered to officials, so context matters.
Easily confused with bakhshish
Hashish is a concentrated cannabis resin, whereas bakhshish is a gratuity or alms — the two merely share a similar sound and ending.