Definition

1. Noun:
   • An incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right): A "perquisite" is an extra advantage or benefit that comes with a job or position, beyond a regular salary or wage.
   • A right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right): In a more formal or historical context, it can refer to a special privilege or exclusive right attached to a specific status or office.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • A company car and a generous expense account are considered valuable perquisites for the executive position.
  • In his new role, he enjoyed the perquisite of a private office.
  • Access to the executive dining room was a cherished perquisite of senior management.

Advanced Usage

• "Perquisites of office/power": The special benefits that come with holding a particular position of authority.
  • The perquisites of power in the old regime included vast estates and immunity from prosecution.

Variants and Related Words

• Perk (n, informal): A common, informal shortening of "perquisite," meaning a special benefit or advantage.
  • One of the best perks of the job is the flexible working hours.

Synonyms

• Fringe benefit: An extra benefit supplementing an employee's salary.
• Privilege: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
• Bonus: Something welcome and often unexpected that accompanies and enhances something that is itself good.

Notes on Meaning

The word "perquisite" is more formal than its common abbreviation "perk." While both refer to job benefits, "perquisite" can also carry the older, more formal connotation of an exclusive right or privilege attached to a status, which is less common in everyday modern usage. The primary contemporary meaning relates to non-wage compensation from employment.

Noun

1. a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right)
   • suffrage was the prerogative of white adult males
2. an incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right)
   • a limousine is one of the fringe benefits of the job