Merriam - Webster Word of the day : perquisite

perquisite

noun


per·​qui·​site ˈpər-kwə-zət

Synonyms of perquisite
1
: a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages
especially : one expected or promised
2
: gratuity, tip
3
: something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession

Did you know?

Looking to acquire a job loaded with perquisites, or perks (a synonym of perquisites)? Don’t give up the search! Make plenty of inquiries, send out an exquisitely crafted résumé, follow up with queries, and be sure to meet most of the prerequisites of the job description. Your quest may result in your conquering of the job market. After all, perquisite comes from the Latin word perquirere, which, in turn, is from the prefix per-, meaning “thoroughly” and the verb quaerere, meaning “to ask” or “to seek.” It’s not surprising that several other words in this paragraph come from quaerere as well—acquire, inquiries, exquisitely, queries, conquering, quest, and, of course, perk, which was formed by shortening and altering perquisite. Quaerere is also an ancestor of prerequisite, so we don’t blame you if you mix up perquisite and prerequisite. You can tell the difference by remembering that a prerequisite can be a requirement needed before getting a job (pre- means “before”), while a perquisite is something extra you get after you’ve been hired.

Synonyms

   gratuity
   tip

Example Sentences


Use of the company's jet is a perquisite of the job. give the movers a perquisite if they do a good job
Recent Examples on the Web But that perquisite may soon be ending. —
William Cohan, Town & Country, 18 Aug. 2022 The Hemlock Quarterly, an unassuming little newsletter that until recently was the chief perquisite of membership in the Hemlock Society, may have been the only radical publication in the United States whose subscriber rolls were dominated by affluent white women with gray hair. — Anne Fadiman, Harper's Magazine, 20 July 2021 Casual swearing is a great perquisite of adulthood, and one of the first that kids attempt to seize for themselves. —
Rumaan Alam, The New Yorker, 19 May 2020


These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perquisite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History


Etymology

Middle English, property acquired by means other than inheritance, from Anglo-French perquisit, Medieval Latin perquisitum, from neuter of perquisitus, past participle of perquirere to purchase, acquire, from Latin, to search for thoroughly, from per- thoroughly + quaerere to seek

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler


The first known use of perquisite was in the 15th century