What does tippee mean?
A tippee is the tip of the little finger, with the term most often encountered in the gesture of touching that finger to the thumb to request money. This association gave the word a second, informal British sense for a small tip or gratuity. Although the pronunciation is straightforward, tippee is now uncommon in everyday English and may sound old-fashioned, literary, or regional. It remains useful for recognizing descriptions of the little-finger gesture and for distinguishing the anatomical meaning from the unrelated senses of tip, such as gratuity, advice, or the upper end of an object. In its most characteristic use, a tippee is both a tiny part of the hand and a visual sign that money is wanted.
The tip of the little finger, especially in the gesture of touching it to the thumb to request a tip.
"The customer touched his tippee to the thumb, and the pianist smiled."
The anatomical sense is uncommon outside dictionaries and descriptions of the gesture.
A small tip or gratuity.
"The performer earned a modest tippee from the audience."
Chiefly British and informal; less common than the ordinary word tip.
The plural tippees is used for multiple instances of a little-finger tip or, in the informal British sense, several small tips or gratuities.
"The children left a few tippees on the counter."
A tippee may be the tiniest part of a hand, but touching it to the thumb can ask for a tip.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tippee come from?
Tippee was formed from tip, meaning an extremity or pointed end, with a diminutive suffix indicating something small. Its development was influenced by the British custom of touching the tip of the little finger to the thumb when requesting a tip, which also helps explain its older association with a gratuity. The word shares its base with tip and the related forms tippy and tipsy, although tippee itself ultimately refers to the little finger's extremity.
How tippee is actually used
The word is uncommon in contemporary general English and has a somewhat old-fashioned or informal quality. The gesture of touching the little finger to the thumb is especially associated with requesting a tip. The sense meaning a small tip or gratuity is chiefly British.
Easily confused with tippee
A tippee is the tip of the little finger, whereas a tip is an amount of money given as a gratuity.
Tippee is a noun naming the tip of the little finger, while tippy is an adjective meaning inclined to tip or easily tipped.