Honorarium (n)

Honorarium - A payment given to a professional person for services for which fees are not legally or traditionally required.

This word popped up when I was reading a Purchasing Dept. Newsletter that my employer sent out. I read it and said "What the heck is that!?"

I found a good explanation of "honorarium" on this site. It reads, "An honorarium is a payment granted in recognition of a special service or distinguished achievement for which custom or propriety forbids any fixed business price to be set. The amount of the honorarium should be specified in an agreement or in correspondence with the individual who will receive the honorarium. A copy of the agreement or correspondence should accompany the request for payment."

Come to think of it, I guess this is what you give to a preacher who conducts your wedding ceremony? It would be improper for a typical preacher to charge for doing a wedding, but yet it is almost always understood that a monetary gift be given to him/her. That monetary gift might be called an honorarium? Not exactly sure about this one, but I'll ask around to be sure I've got it correct.