From Quechua 'yapa' (something extra) via Spanish and Louisiana French — a word from the Inca Empire for a bonus gift.
A small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase; an unexpected bonus.
From Louisiana French 'lagniappe,' from American Spanish 'la ñapa' (the bonus, the extra), where 'la' is the definite article and 'ñapa' derives from Quechua 'yapa' (addition, gift, something extra given at a sale). Quechua is the language family of the Inca Empire, spoken throughout the Andes, and 'yapay' (to add to, to give extra) was a commercial custom practiced in Andean markets: a seller would toss in a small extra item as goodwill. Spanish colonizers absorbed both the practice and the word, carrying