Adventures in Etymology – Lagniappe
In this adventure, we’re looking into the origins of the word lagniappe. A lagniappe [lænˈjæp] is: * An extra or unexpected gift or benefit, such as that given to customers when they purchase something (mainly used in Louisiana & Mississippi, USA, and in Trinidad and Tobago) By the way, lagniappe is also written lagnappe, lanyap or lanyappe. It comes from Cajun French lagniappe [la.ɲap] (tip, windfall, unexpected gift), from Spanish la ñapa (something extra given as a bonus; a gratuity), a variant of yapa, from Quechua yapay (addition, sum, to increase) [source] Apparently in Andean markets it’s customary to ask for a yapa (a little extra) when buying things, and the sellers usually throw in something extra for their customers [source]. In Ireland an equivalent of a lagniappe is a a luck penny or tilly (an extra product given to a customer at no additional charge). The latter comes from the Irish word tuilleadh [ˈt̪ˠɪlʲə] (more) [source]. Do you know words with similar meanings in other languages? You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.