Etymology

bonsella

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Today it means: In a transaction, something extra on the side. Full definition →

Afrikaans bonsela ← Xhosa bansela
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The story

  1. Xhosa · derived frombansela
  2. Afrikaans · borrowed frombonsela
  3. English todaybonsella

Borrowed from Afrikaans bonsela, from Xhosa bansela meaning "showing thanks with a gift", related to Zulu umbhanselo a "tip".

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.