Honorarium - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition honorarium

Definition :

Honorarium, a recompense for service rendered; a voluntary fee to one exercising a liberal pro-fession--e.g., a barrister's fee. See PHYSCIAN.

A payment of money or anything of value made to a person for services rendered for which fee cannot legally be or are not traditionally paid, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn.

The Shorter Oxford Dictionary gives the meaning of the word 'honorarium' as an honorary reward, a fee for professional service rendered, while on the meanings of the word 'salary' is, fixed payment made periodically to a person as compensation for regular work, remuneration for services rendered, fee, honorarium. Thus, in one aspect honorarium and fee are used almost as though they are interchangeable terms, Karbhari Bhimaji Rohamare v. Shanker Rao Genuji Kolhe, AIR 1975 SC 575 (577): (1975) 1 SCC 252: (1975) 2 SCR 753.