BONUS (a jocular application of the

See also:

• LAT

Lat. bonus, for bonum, " a

See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good thing ")  , a sum paid to shareholders in a joint-stock company, as an addition to the ordinary dividend, and generally given out of accumulated profits, or out of profits gained from exceptional transactions . As used by insurance companies, the word denotes the addition made to the amount of a policy by a distribution pro rata of accumulated profits or surplus . In a more general sense, bonus is any payment or remuneration over and above what is due and promised .