Word of the Day

: December 23, 2011

perquisite

noun PER-kwuh-zut

What It Means

1 : a privilege or profit made in addition to regular pay

2 : gratuity, tip

3 : something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession

perquisite in Context

One of the job's perquisites is use of a company car.

"A few years ago, before motherhood and a recession slowed me down, my annual flight mileage allowed me the perquisite of early boarding -- before all the baggage bins were full." -- From a column by Cynthia Tucker in The Leaf Chronicle (Tennessee), November 25, 2011

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 resume, and follow up with queries. Your quest may result in your conquering of the job market. After all, today’s word "perquisite" derives from Latin "perquirere," which means "to search for thoroughly." That Latin word, in turn, is from the verb "quaerere," meaning "to ask" or "to seek." Seven other words in this paragraph are from "quaerere" as well -- "acquire," "inquiries," "exquisitely," "queries," "conquering," "quest," and, of course, "perk" (which was formed by shortening and altering "perquisite").