honorarium
Noun: 1. A voluntary payment for services where no fee is legally or customarily required: An honorarium is a payment given, typically as a token of appreciation, for professional services for which a formal fee is not set or expected. It is often offered for one-time engagements like giving a speech, serving on a panel, or reviewing a manuscript. 2. A payment less than the standard value of the service rendered: It acknowledges the service while recognizing that it is not a full commercial transaction.
An honorarium is used when a professional provides a service, often within academic, artistic, or charitable contexts, without a formal contract or invoice. It is a gesture of gratitude rather than a salary or wage.
- The university offered the guest lecturer a modest honorarium for her talk.
- As a member of the prize committee, he received a small honorarium for reviewing the entries.
- The conference organizers provided an honorarium to cover the speaker's travel expenses.
- "Accept/Receive an honorarium": To take a payment offered for a nominally free service.
- She was honored to be asked and agreed to accept only a small honorarium.
- "Offer/Provide an honorarium": To give such a payment.
- The nonprofit organization always tries to provide an honorarium to its volunteer consultants.
- Honoraria: The less common but traditional plural form of "honorarium."
- The funds were allocated for speaker honoraria.
- Gratuity: A sum of money given for a service, often similar in spirit but more commonly associated with tips.
- Token payment: A small payment symbolizing appreciation rather than full compensation.
- Stipend: A regular fixed sum paid for services or expenses; can be similar but often implies a more formal or recurring arrangement.
- Invoice: A formal bill requesting payment for services rendered.
- Salary: A fixed regular payment for employment.
- Fee: A standard payment charged for a professional service.
The key concept is the voluntary and symbolic nature of an honorarium. It is not negotiated like a standard fee but is offered as a courtesy. It is common in fields like academia, the arts, and volunteer sectors.
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a fee paid for a nominally free service
