messenger fee; tip for a messenger
A small payment or tip given to a messenger or errand runner for their service. Somewhat old-fashioned; modern equivalents include チップ or お駄賃.
I gave a tip to the child who came on the errand.
In the old days, people used to give small change as a messenger's tip.
Compound of 使い (messenger, errand) and 賃 (fee, wages). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period to refer to a gratuity for a messenger.