different between gratuity vs compliment

English

Etymology

From Old French gratuite (French gratuité), from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????tju??t?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /????tu??t?/

Noun

gratuity (plural gratuities)

1. An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
2. Euphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
3. Euphemistic form of bribe.

Synonyms

• (additional payment offered in thanks): douceur, grace, pourboire, tip; baksheesh (Turkish and Middle Eastern contexts); cumshaw (SE Chinese contexts; archaic); see also gift
• (obligatory fee): service charge; douceur, tip (euphemistic)
• (bribe): Thesaurus:bribe
• (additional gift from a vendor): lagniappe

Related terms

• gratis
• gratuitous
• gratuitously

Translations

Further reading

• gratuity in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• gratuity in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (“to comply, complete, do what is proper”). Doublet of complement.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?mpl?m?nt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?mpl?m?nt/
• Homophone: complement

Noun

compliment (plural compliments)

1. An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
   • c. 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, Act I, Scene 2,^[1]

     […] I met him

     With customary compliment; when he,

     Wafting his eyes to the contrary and falling

     A lip of much contempt, speeds from me and

     So leaves me to consider what is breeding

     That changeth thus his manners.

   • 1671, John Milton, Paradise Regained, London: T. Longman et al., 1796, Book 4, p. 65,^[2]

     [...] what honour that,

     but tedious waste of time, to sit and hear

     So many hollow compliments and lies,

     Outlandish flatteries?

   • 1782, William Cowper, “Table Talk” in Poems, London: J. Johnson, p. 37,^[3]

     Virtue indeed meets many a rhiming friend,

     And many a compliment politely penn’d,

2. (uncountable) Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, p. 25,^[4]

     He told the Captain, He was heartily sorry for his Misfortunes; tho’ in my Opinion that was nothing but a Compliment: For, as I found afterwards, he was more brutish, and dishonest, than most of the other Kings on the Island […]
3. Misspelling of complement.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:praise

Antonyms

• insult

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

compliment (third-person singular simple present compliments, present participle complimenting, simple past and past participle complimented)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To pay a compliment (to); to express a favorable opinion (of).
   • 1709, Matthew Prior, Pleasure

     Monarchs should their inward soul disguise; […] / Should compliment their foes and shun their friends.

2. Misspelling of complement.

Antonyms

• insult

Translations

See also

• complement

Catalan

Etymology

From complir. Cf. also Spanish cumplimiento, Latin complementum.

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French compliment, from Italian complimento, from Old Spanish cumplimiento.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?m.pli?m?nt/
• Hyphenation: com?pli?ment
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

compliment n (plural complimenten, diminutive complimentje n)

1. compliment

Derived terms

• complimenteus

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian complimento, itself a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from Latin compl?mentum. Doublet of complément.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.pli.m??/

Noun

compliment m (plural compliments)

1. compliment (positive comment)

Derived terms

• complimenter

References

• “compliment” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

From French compliment

Noun

compliment n (plural complimente)

1. compliment

Declension