lagniappe

lagniappe
lagniappe "dividend, something extra," 1849, from New Orleans creole, of unknown origin though much speculated upon. Originally a bit of something given by New Orleans shopkeepers to customers. Said to be from Amer.Sp. la ñapa "the gift." Klein says this is in turn from Quechua yapa "something added, gift."
We picked up one excellent word -- a word worth travelling to New Orleans to get; a nice, limber, expressive, handy word -- 'lagniappe.' They pronounce it lanny-yap. It is Spanish -- so they said. [Mark Twain, "Life on the Mississippi"]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Lagniappe — refers to a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th beignet when buying a dozen), or more broadly, something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. [cite web | url=http://www.m… …   Wikipedia

  • Lagniappe — La*gniappe, Lagnappe La*gnappe , n. [Also spelled {lagnappe}.][Etym. uncertain.] 1. In Louisiana, a trifling present given to customers by tradesmen; a gratuity. [1913 Webster] Lagniappe . . .is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure. Mark …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lagniappe — ☆ lagniappe or lagnappe [lan yap′, lan′yap΄ ] n. [Creole < Fr la, the + Sp ñapa, lagniappe < Quechuan yapa] 1. Chiefly South a small present given to a customer with a purchase 2. a gratuity or the like …   English World dictionary

  • lagniappe — index contribution (donation), grant Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • lagniappe — la·gniappe (lăn’yəp, lăn yăp’) n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi 1) A small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer s purchase. 2) An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot2. See Note at… …   Word Histories

  • lagniappe — noun Etymology: American French, from American Spanish la ñapa the lagniappe, from la + ñapa, yapa, from Quechua yapa something added Date: 1844 a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; broadly something given or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • lagniappe — noun /ˈlænjæp/ (Louisiana, Mississippi and Trinidad and Tobago) An extra or unexpected gift or benefit , 1973: ‘Call it a little lagniappe, goodbuddy, that’s Duane Marvy’s way o’ doin’ thangs.’ …   Wiktionary

  • Lagniappe (disambiguation) — A lagniappe a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase. Langniappe may also refer to: * Lagniappe (pamphlet) alternative newspaper in Mobile, Alabama * Lagniappe (album) Hurricane Katrina benefit album by Saddle… …   Wikipedia

  • Lagniappe (pamphlet) — Infobox Newspaper name = Lagniappe caption = type = Alternative newspaper format = Tabloid foundation = July 24, 2002 ceased publication = price = owners = Something Extra Publishing, Inc. publisher = Ashley Toland Rob Holbert editor = language …   Wikipedia

  • Lagniappe crayfish — Taxobox name = Procambarus lagniappe status = VU | status system = IUCN2.3 regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda subphylum = Crustacea classis = Malacostraca ordo = Decapoda familia = Cambaridae genus = Procambarus subgenus = P. (Pennides)… …   Wikipedia

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