n. 1. A payment, profit, or benefit received in addition to a regular wage or salary, especially when due or expected. 2. Something regarded or claimed as an exclusive right by virtue of one's social position or rank: "The family had the perquisites of the upper-middle class, employing a maid, a chauffeur-gardener, and an Irish Catholic nanny" (Ira Bruce Nadel). See Synonyms at right. 3. A gratuity; a tip. [From Middle English perquisites, property acquired otherwise than by inheritance, from Medieval Latin perquīsītum, acquisition, from Latin, neuter past participle of perquīrere, to search diligently for : per-, per- + quaerere, to seek.] |
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