How Did the Word “Tip” Originate and What Does the Word For a Gratuity Mean In German?

The word “tip” is not an acronym for “To Insure Promptness.”

In the 1800s a tip was understood to be a bribe.

As insider information, tip first appeared in the seventeenth century and derives from the Low German word tippen, which means “to touch discreetly.”

A tip is something confidential, whether given or received, either from a stockbroker or to a waiter.