bonus

See also: Bonus, bónus, and bônus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bonus (“good”). Doublet of bona.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbəʊ.nəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈboʊ.nəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊnəs

Noun

bonus (plural bonuses or bonusses or (nonstandard) boni)

1. Something extra that is good; an added benefit.
2. An extra sum given as a premium, e.g. to an employee or to a shareholder.
   • 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:

     Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. […] Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.

   The employee of the week receives a bonus for his excellent work.

3. (video games) An addition to the player's score based on performance, e.g. for time remaining.
   • 1988, David Powell, Rygar (video game review) in Your Sinclair issue 25

     Spend the time killing things and there's a bonus for each hit - but only for fatalities notched up since the start of your current life.

4. (basketball) One or more free throws awarded to a team when the opposing team has accumulated enough fouls.

Derived terms

• antibonus
• baby bonus
• bonus baby
• Bonusgate
• bonus genius
• bonus hole
• bonus-less
• bonus mother
• bonus-point
• double bonus
• no claims bonus
• non-bonus
• nonbonus
• signing bonus
• sign-on bonus
• sign on bonus

 

Descendants

• → Danish: bonus
• → French: bonus
• → German: Bonus
• → Portuguese: bónus, bônus (Brazil)
• → Japanese: ボーナス (bōnasu)
• → Turkish: bonus

Translations

something extra that is good

• Armenian: բոնուս (hy) (bonus)
• Basque: gainsari
• Bulgarian: бонус (bg) m (bonus)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 額外收獲 / 额外收获 (éwài shōuhuò)

• Dutch: bonus (nl) m, extraatje (nl) n
• Finnish: bonus (fi), lisäetu, ekstra, plussa (fi)
• French: bonus (fr) m
• German: Bonus (de) m, Dreingabe (de) f
• Greek: μπόνους (el) n (bónous)
• Icelandic: bónus (is) m
• Italian: bonus (it) m, extra (it) m
• Japanese: おまけ (ja) (omake)
• Polish: bonus (pl) m
• Portuguese:

  Brazilian: bônus (pt) m

  European: bónus (pt) m

• Spanish: bonificación (es) f, plus (es) m, ñapa (es) f, yapa (es) f, llapa (es) f, chorrada (es) f, chorretada f, ipegüe m
• Swedish: bonus (sv) c
• Turkish: bonus (tr), ekstra (tr), ilave (tr), ek (tr)

extra amount of money given as a premium

• Arabic: عِلَاوَة f (ʕilāwa)
• Armenian: պարգեւավճար (hy) (pargewavčar)
• Basque: gainordain
• Bulgarian: бонус (bg) m (bonus), премия (bg) f (premija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獎金 / 奖金 (zh) (jiǎngjīn), 紅利 / 红利 (zh) (hónglì)

• Dutch: bonus (nl) m, premie (nl)
• Esperanto: bonuso
• Finnish: bonus (fi), kannustuspalkkio, tulospalkkio
• French: bonus (fr) m, prime (fr) f
• German: Bonus (de) m, Prämie (de) f
• Greek: επιμίσθιο (el) n (epimísthio), μπόνους (el) n (bónous)
• Greenlandic: bonussi
• Hungarian: prémium (hu)
• Icelandic: bónus (is) m
• Italian: bonus (it) m, extra (it) m
• Japanese: 賞与 (ja) (しょうよ, shōyo), ボーナス (ja) (bōnasu), 褒奨金 (ほうしょうきん, hōshōkin)
• Korean: 보너스 (ko) (boneoseu)
• Latin: dōnātīvum n
• Marathi: बोनस m (bonas)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bonus (no) m

  Nynorsk: bonus m

• Persian: شتل (fa) (šatal)
• Polish: premia (pl) f
• Portuguese:

  Brazilian: bônus (pt) m

  European: bónus (pt) m

• Russian: пре́мия (ru) f (prémija), бо́нус (ru) m (bónus), надба́вка (ru) f (nadbávka)
• Spanish: bonificación (es) f, prima (es) f, sobresueldo (es) m, plus (es) m, bonus (es) m
• Swedish: bonus (sv) c, lönebonus c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} tiền thưởng, ^{(please verify)} tiền các

Verb

bonus (third-person singular simple present bonuses or bonusses, present participle bonusing or bonussing, simple past and past participle bonused or bonussed)

1. (transitive) To pay a bonus, premium
   • 1949, Land Values Research Group, Reclamation of an Industrial Suburb:

     In its adherence to a system of rating which bonusses the most anti-social owners and penalises those doing something to improve the district, the municipality must accept a large measure of responsibility.

   • 1964, Translations on USSR Labor, United States Joint Publications Research Service, page 22:

     The main bulk of the piece-workers (71%) are bonussed for fulfillment of the production quotas by the section, shop or plant on condition they fulfill the norms.

   • 1991, Bruce S. Elliott, The City Beyond: A History of Nepean, Birthplace of Canada’s Capital, 1792-1990, Corporation of the City of Nepean, →ISBN, page 130:

     Extracting grants called bonusses from municipal councils had become a fine art in the hands of railway promoters, and by the 1870s councils were aware that huge municipal debts could be mounted up by bonussing railway lines that as often as not never materialized.

Translations

Translations

• Spanish: bonificar (es)

Anagrams

• Bonsu, bo'sun, bosun, bouns

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bonus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbonus]
• Hyphenation: bo‧nus

Noun

bonus m inan

1. bonus

Declension

Declension of bonus (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bonus	bonusy
genitive	bonusu	bonusů
dative	bonusu	bonusům
accusative	bonus	bonusy
vocative	bonuse	bonusy
locative	bonusu	bonusech
instrumental	bonusem	bonusy

Further reading

• “bonus”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “bonus”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

Via English bonus from Latin bonus (“good”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈb̥oːnus]

Noun

bonus c (singular definite bonussen, plural indefinite bonusser)

1. bonus (an extra sum given as a premium, e.g. to an employee or to a shareholder)
2. bonus (an unexpected benefit)
3. bonus (an extraordinary reduction of a price)

Declension

Declension of bonus

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bonus	bonussen	bonusser	bonusserne
genitive	bonus'	bonussens	bonussers	bonussernes

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bonus (“good”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈboː.nʏs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bo‧nus

Noun

bonus m (plural bonussen or boni, diminutive bonusje n)

1. a bonus, an extra or premium
2. (by extension) Any one-off gain
3. good marks in a rating scale, notably to calculate an insurance premium dependent on the number of accidents

Derived terms

• bonusaandeel
• bonuscultuur
• bonus-malus
• bonuslevel
• bonuspunt
• bonusscore

Descendants

• → Indonesian: bonus
• → Sranan Tongo: bones
  • → Caribbean Javanese: bones

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from English bonus or Latin bonus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbo(ː)nus/, [ˈbo̞(ː)nus̠]
• Rhymes: -onus
• Hyphenation^(key): bo‧nus

Noun

bonus

1. bonus (something extra)
2. bonus (extra payment to an employee)

Declension

Inflection of bonus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		bonus	bonukset
genitive		bonuksen	bonusten bonuksien
partitive		bonusta	bonuksia
illative		bonukseen	bonuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		bonus	bonukset
accusative	nom.	bonus	bonukset
	gen.	bonuksen
genitive		bonuksen	bonusten bonuksien
partitive		bonusta	bonuksia
inessive		bonuksessa	bonuksissa
elative		bonuksesta	bonuksista
illative		bonukseen	bonuksiin
adessive		bonuksella	bonuksilla
ablative		bonukselta	bonuksilta
allative		bonukselle	bonuksille
essive		bonuksena	bonuksina
translative		bonukseksi	bonuksiksi
abessive		bonuksetta	bonuksitta
instructive		—	bonuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of bonus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bonukseni bonukseni accusative nom. bonukseni bonukseni gen. bonukseni genitive bonukseni bonusteni bonuksieni partitive bonustani bonuksiani inessive bonuksessani bonuksissani elative bonuksestani bonuksistani illative bonukseeni bonuksiini adessive bonuksellani bonuksillani ablative bonukseltani bonuksiltani allative bonukselleni bonuksilleni essive bonuksenani bonuksinani translative bonuksekseni bonuksikseni abessive bonuksettani bonuksittani instructive — — comitative — bonuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bonuksesi bonuksesi accusative nom. bonuksesi bonuksesi gen. bonuksesi genitive bonuksesi bonustesi bonuksiesi partitive bonustasi bonuksiasi inessive bonuksessasi bonuksissasi elative bonuksestasi bonuksistasi illative bonukseesi bonuksiisi adessive bonuksellasi bonuksillasi ablative bonukseltasi bonuksiltasi allative bonuksellesi bonuksillesi essive bonuksenasi bonuksinasi translative bonukseksesi bonuksiksesi abessive bonuksettasi bonuksittasi instructive — — comitative — bonuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bonuksemme bonuksemme accusative nom. bonuksemme bonuksemme gen. bonuksemme genitive bonuksemme bonustemme bonuksiemme partitive bonustamme bonuksiamme inessive bonuksessamme bonuksissamme elative bonuksestamme bonuksistamme illative bonukseemme bonuksiimme adessive bonuksellamme bonuksillamme ablative bonukseltamme bonuksiltamme allative bonuksellemme bonuksillemme essive bonuksenamme bonuksinamme translative bonukseksemme bonuksiksemme abessive bonuksettamme bonuksittamme instructive — — comitative — bonuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bonuksenne bonuksenne accusative nom. bonuksenne bonuksenne gen. bonuksenne genitive bonuksenne bonustenne bonuksienne partitive bonustanne bonuksianne inessive bonuksessanne bonuksissanne elative bonuksestanne bonuksistanne illative bonukseenne bonuksiinne adessive bonuksellanne bonuksillanne ablative bonukseltanne bonuksiltanne allative bonuksellenne bonuksillenne essive bonuksenanne bonuksinanne translative bonukseksenne bonuksiksenne abessive bonuksettanne bonuksittanne instructive — — comitative — bonuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative bonuksensa bonuksensa accusative nom. bonuksensa bonuksensa gen. bonuksensa genitive bonuksensa bonustensa bonuksiensa partitive bonustaan bonustansa bonuksiaan bonuksiansa inessive bonuksessaan bonuksessansa bonuksissaan bonuksissansa elative bonuksestaan bonuksestansa bonuksistaan bonuksistansa illative bonukseensa bonuksiinsa adessive bonuksellaan bonuksellansa bonuksillaan bonuksillansa ablative bonukseltaan bonukseltansa bonuksiltaan bonuksiltansa allative bonukselleen bonuksellensa bonuksilleen bonuksillensa essive bonuksenaan bonuksenansa bonuksinaan bonuksinansa translative bonuksekseen bonukseksensa bonuksikseen bonuksiksensa abessive bonuksettaan bonuksettansa bonuksittaan bonuksittansa instructive — — comitative — bonuksineen bonuksinensa

Synonyms

• (something extra): ekstra, lisäetu, plussa
• (employee bonus): kannustuspalkkio, tulospalkkio

Derived terms

compounds

• bonusjärjestelmä
• bonuskortti
• bonuslapsi

 

Further reading

• “bonus”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

English bonus, from Latin bonus. Compare bon (“good”), a doublet inherited from the same Latin word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɔ.nys/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bonus m (uncountable)

1. premium
2. bonus

Antonyms

• malus

Further reading

• “bonus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch bonus, from Latin bonus (“good”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbonʊs]
• Hyphenation: bo‧nus

Noun

bonus

1. bonus:
   1. something extra that is good; an added benefit.
   2. an extra sum given as a premium, e.g. to an employee or to a shareholder.

      Synonyms: gratifikasi, insentif

Related terms

• bon

 

Further reading

• “bonus” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin bonus, either through English or influenced by English. Compare the inherited doublet buono (“good”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.nus/
• Rhymes: -ɔnus
• Hyphenation: bò‧nus

Noun

bonus m (invariable)

1. a bonus (all senses)

Latin

Etymology

From Old Latin duenos, later duonus, from Proto-Italic *dwenos, further etymology uncertain. Possibly cognate with beō (“to bless, gladden”). Possible roots include:

• Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to join, fit together”); compare Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, “to do, make”) and Ancient Greek δύναμαι (dúnamai, “to be able”).
• Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-u, from *deh₃- (“to give”).
• Proto-Indo-European *dew- (“to show favor, revere”)
• Proto-Indo-European *dwey- (“to fear”), source of Ancient Greek δέος (déos), δεινός (deinós), δειλός (deilós).

Compare the change from duellum to bellum (“war”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.nus/, [ˈbɔnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.nus/, [ˈbɔːnus]

Adjective

bonus (feminine bona, neuter bonum, comparative melior, superlative optimus or optumus, adverb bene); first/second-declension adjective

1. good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant

   Antonym: malus

2. right
3. useful
4. valid
5. healthy
6. quality

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	bonus	bona	bonum		bonī	bonae	bona
genitive	bonī	bonae	bonī		bonōrum	bonārum	bonōrum
dative	bonō	bonae	bonō		bonīs
accusative	bonum	bonam	bonum		bonōs	bonās	bona
ablative	bonō	bonā	bonō		bonīs
vocative	bone	bona	bonum		bonī	bonae	bona

Derived terms

• bonitās
• cui bonō

Related terms

• bellus
• bene (“well”)
• beō

 

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Megleno-Romanian: bun
  • Aromanian: bun, bunu
  • Istro-Romanian: bur
  • Romanian: bun
• Dalmatian:
  • bun
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: bonu
  • Italian: buono, bono
  • Neapolitan: buono
  • Sicilian: bonu
• Padanian:
  • Friulian: bon
  • Ligurian: bon
  • Lombard: bon
  • Piedmontese: bon
  • Romansch: bun
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: bo
  • Franco-Provençal: bon
  • Old French: bon, boen, boun, buen, bun
    • Middle French: bon
      • French: bon
    • Picard: boin
    • Walloon: bon
    • → Middle English: boon, bone
      • English: boon
      • Scots: boon
  • Old Occitan: bon
    • Occitan: bon
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: bonu
  • Mirandese: buono
  • Mozarabic: בונה (bwnh)
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: bõo, boo, bon
    • Fala: bo
    • Galician: bo
    • Portuguese: bom
  • Spanish: bueno, (obsolete) bono
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: bonu
• Borrowings:
  • → English: bonus (see there for further descendants)
  • → Italian: bonus
  • → Spanish: bono, bonus

Noun

bonus m (genitive bonī); second declension

1. A good, moral, honest or brave man
2. A gentleman

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	bonus	bonī
genitive	bonī	bonōrum
dative	bonō	bonīs
accusative	bonum	bonōs
ablative	bonō	bonīs
vocative	bone	bonī

Further reading

• “bonus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “bonus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• bonus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• bonus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be robust, vigorous: bonis esse viribus
    
  • who gets the advantage from this? who is the interested party: cui bono?
    
  • moral science; ethics: philosophia, in qua de bonis rebus et malis, deque hominum vita et moribus disputatur
    
  • to have good lungs: bonis lateribus esse
    
  • to be brave, courageous: bono animo esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to possess means, to be well off: rem or opes habere, bona possidere, in bonis esse
    
  • to be very rich: opibus, divitiis, bonis, facultatibus abundare
    
  • to drive a person out of house and home: evertere aliquem bonis, fortunis patriis
    
  • disinherited: exheres paternorum bonorum (De Or. 1. 38. 175)
    
  • the aristocracy (as a party in politics): boni cives, optimi, optimates, also simply boni (opp. improbi); illi, qui optimatium causam agunt
    
  • justly and equitably: ex aequo et bono (Caecin. 23. 65)
    
  • (ambiguous) to meet with good weather: tempestatem idoneam, bonam nancisci
    
  • (ambiguous) to enjoy good health: bona (firma, prospera) valetudine esse or uti (vid. sect. VI. 8., note uti...)
    
  • (ambiguous) to reward amply; to give manifold recompense for: bonam (praeclaram) gratiam referre
    
  • (ambiguous) to have a good or bad reputation, be spoken well, ill of: bona, mala existimatio est de aliquo
    
  • (ambiguous) to be gifted, talented (not praeditum esse by itself): bona indole (always in sing.) praeditum esse
    
  • (ambiguous) he is a young man of great promise: adulescens alios bene de se sperare iubet, bonam spem ostendit or alii de adulescente bene sperare possunt
    
  • (ambiguous) to take a thing in good (bad) part: in bonam (malam) partem accipere aliquid
    
  • (ambiguous) to be brave, courageous: bonum animum habere
    
  • (ambiguous) to consider virtue the highest good: summum bonum in virtute ponere
    
  • (ambiguous) natural advantages: naturae bona
    
  • (ambiguous) to recover one's reason, be reasonable again: ad bonam frugem se recipere
    
  • (ambiguous) may heaven's blessing rest on it: quod bonum, faustum, felix, fortunatumque sit! (Div. 1. 45. 102)
    
  • (ambiguous) to bless (curse) a person: precari alicui bene (male) or omnia bona (mala), salutem
    
  • (ambiguous) to possess means, to be well off: rem or opes habere, bona possidere, in bonis esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to squander all one's property: lacerare bona sua (Verr. 3. 70. 164)
    
  • (ambiguous) to confiscate a person's property: bona alicuius publicare (B. G. 5. 54)
    
  • (ambiguous) to restore to a person his confiscated property: bona alicui restituere
    
  • (ambiguous) allow me to say: bona (cum) venia tua dixerim
    

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English bonus or Latin bonus.

Noun

bonus m (definite singular bonusen, indefinite plural bonuser, definite plural bonusene)

1. a bonus

References

• “bonus” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English bonus or Latin bonus.

Noun

bonus m (definite singular bonusen, indefinite plural bonusar, definite plural bonusane)

1. a bonus

References

• “bonus” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English bonus, itself from Latin bonus. Doublet of bun (inherited from Latin), bon, and bonă (both borrowed from French).

Noun

bonus n (plural bonusuri)

1. bonus

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	bonus	bonusul		bonusuri	bonusurile
genitive-dative	bonus	bonusului		bonusuri	bonusurilor
vocative	bonusule			bonusurilor

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English bonus, from Latin bonus. Compare the doublet bueno (“good”), inherited from the same Latin word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbonus/ [ˈbo.nus]
• Rhymes: -onus
• Syllabification: bo‧nus

Noun

bonus m (plural bonus)

1. bonus

Further reading

• “bonus”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10