define: honorarium
An honorarium is a small fee paid for a service that is usually done for free. It's more of a thank you than a real, substantial paycheck. Honorarium comes from the Latin word honorary for âgift.â An honorarium is like a gift of a small amount of money that's paid once for a service. If a doctor or lawyer gives a speech for an organization, they might be given an honorarium. The honorarium money is small and not intended to reflect what the person's time is truly worth. Rather, the honorarium is a token of thanks and a gesture of respect.