A bribe or tip, especially money given to officials or workers in Middle Eastern and North African countries; also spelled backsheesh or baksheesh.
From Arabic 'bakhshīsh' meaning 'gift' or 'gratuity,' borrowed into English in the 1800s during colonial contact. The word spread through trade and diplomatic channels.
This Arabic word entered English through colonial encounters, and it reveals how different cultures have different attitudes toward tipping and gift-giving—what's normal hospitality in one place can be seen as bribery elsewhere!
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