Pronounced: ROUN-sih-vuhl, adj/noun
Notes: Also spelled rouncival; I don’t think I’ve run across this word
Yesterday’s word
The word cumshaw is a “present; gratuity – also bribe; payoff”
First usage
Our word came into English in the early 1800s
Background / Comments
It is thought that our word was first picked up by British sailors in Chinese ports — specifically the port of Xiamen in southeast China. In the dialect of that city, the phrase kam siā (grateful thanks) was used by beggars in the port town, and the sailors mistook the word as the word for a handout. As the word spread, US sailors used it for something obtained through unofficial means. Again, as the word spread outside of naval circles, the meaning changed again and can now range in meaning from a harmless gratuity to outright bribery.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 