What does baksheesh mean?
Baksheesh is a noun referring to money given as a tip, gratuity, alms, or bribe, most strongly associated with the cultures of the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, and South Asia. The word entered European languages during periods of trade and imperial contact with the Ottoman and Persian worlds, and it remains a common term in travel writing and accounts of bureaucracy abroad. Its meaning ranges along a moral spectrum: at one end, baksheesh is a harmless, even expected token of thanks for a service such as carrying luggage or guiding a visitor; at the other, it shades into bribery — cash offered to officials or gatekeepers to obtain favors or bypass rules. English speakers therefore use the word both neutrally and critically, depending on context. Understanding baksheesh is useful for travelers navigating societies where tipping customs differ from Western norms, as well as for readers of literature and journalism describing economies where informal payments grease everyday transactions. The word carries an exotic, slightly dated flavor in modern English but remains fully current in travel contexts.
nounA small sum of money given as a tip, gratuity, or bribe in parts of the Middle East and South Asia; also used more broadly to mean a customary tip or inducement. The word often carries the connotation of a payment expected or demanded for a service that might otherwise be free.
- A tip or small payment given in return for a service, customary in Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures.
- Money given as a bribe or inducement, especially to officials or gatekeepers.
"The guide made it clear that baksheesh was expected before he would open the tomb's inner chamber."
"Porters at the station expect a little baksheesh for carrying your bags."
"He slipped the customs officer some baksheesh to speed up his paperwork."
Rarely pluralized in practice; the word typically appears as an uncountable mass noun referring to sums of money collectively.
"Over the course of the trip, he distributed countless baksheeshes to porters, guides, and clerks."
Baksheesh traveled from Persian courts into English through centuries of empire and trade — and today it can mean anything from a polite tip to an outright bribe.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of baksheesh
Baksheesh derives from the Persian verb "bakhshidan" (بخشیدن), meaning "to give," via the noun form "bakhshish" meaning a gift or gratuity. It spread through Turkish and Arabic usage across the Ottoman world and into India, where it became entrenched in local languages including Hindi and Urdu. English adopted the word during the era of colonial trade and administration, with attestations appearing by the early seventeenth century. Cognates appear throughout Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, and Hindi, all tracing back to the same Persian root.
How baksheesh is actually used
Register is informal. In Western contexts it is usually encountered in travel writing about North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, or South Asia. It can be neutral (a customary tip) or pejorative when implying corruption.
Easily confused with baksheesh
"Backsheesh" is simply an older English spelling of the same word, not a different word — both refer to the same Middle Eastern tip or gratuity.