The Collaborative International Dictionary
Douceur \Dou`ceur"\, n. [F., fr. doux sweet. See Douce.]
Gentleness and sweetness of manner; agreeableness.
--Chesterfield.A gift for service done or to be done; an honorarium; a present; sometimes, a bribe.
--Burke.
Wiktionary
n. 1 Gentleness and sweetness of manner; agreeableness. 2 A gift for service done or to be done; an honorarium; a present; sometimes, a bribe.
Usage examples of "douceur".
The postilions, stimulated by a promise of a princely DOUCEUR, drove rapidly along over a well-kept road.
The British ministers find in a state of war rather than of peace, by riding the various contractors, and receiving douceurs on the vast expenditures of the war supplies, that they recruit their broken fortunes, or make new ones, and therefore will not make peace as long as by any delusions they can keep the temper of the nation up to the war point.
Instead of remitting the money as modestly requested, the recipient of one of these choice douceurs, a lady residing in the interior of Pennsylvania, sent the letter to the mayor of the town where it was dated and postmarked, who in turn handed it over to special agent T.
Furthermore, at shocking cost in douceurs to the Dutch, he set a band of brilliant Chinese carpenters to work, changing the ordinary carronade-slides to those with an inclined plane to absorb much of the recoil.