Bribe

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /bɹaɪb/

Definitions

1. To provide an inducement, typically money or gifts, in order to sway someone's actions or decisions in a clandestine manner
2. An act of giving something desirable to another person to manipulate their choices or ensure their compliance with one's aims
3. An illegal or unethical payment or gift given to influence someone's decisions or actions ; to secretly give a valuable item to persuade someone to act dishonestly

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "bribe" is that its original sense was not corrupt at all. In Old French, "briber" meant "to go begging," and the noun "bribe" was a piece of bread or a scrap of food given to a beggar. The gift was a crust, not a payoff. Over time the idea of handing out alms to the poor shifted into the idea of handing something to a person to win favour. By the Middle Ages, the verb had acquired the sense of rewarding someone in exchange for a favour or for a dishonest service, and English took the word in from Middle English, where it carried this darker, corrupting meaning. The leap from charity to corruption happened through the notion of a gift given to buy someone's cooperation.

Synonyms: kickback, payoff, inducement, sweetener, gratuity

Antonyms: penalty, punishment, disincentive, discipline, deterrent