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sinecure

 
Dictionary: si·ne·cure   ('nĭ-kyʊr', sĭn'ĭ-) pronunciation
n.
  1. A position or office that requires little or no work but provides a salary.
  2. Archaic. An ecclesiastical benefice not attached to the spiritual duties of a parish.

[From Medieval Latin (beneficium) sine cūrā, (benefice) without cure (of souls) : Latin sine, without + Latin cūrā, ablative of cūra, care; see cure.]

sinecurism si'ne·cur·ism n.
sinecurist si'ne·cur'ist n.

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Obscure Words: sinecure
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a position that requires little or no work, but provides income
Word Tutor: sinecure
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A position that includes a salary and requires little or no work.

pronunciation Lazy people may wish for a sinecure.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

Wikipedia: Sinecure
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A sinecure (from Latin sine, without, and cura, care) means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute patronage, while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries.

A sinecure is not necessarily a figurehead, which generally requires active participation in government, albeit with a lack of power. A sinecure, by contrast, has no real day-to-day responsibilities, but may have de jure power.

A sinecure can also be given to an individual whose primary job is in another office, but requires a sinecure title to perform that job well. For example, the Government House Leader in Canada is often given a sinecure ministry position so that he may become a member of the Cabinet. Similar examples are the Lord Privy Seal and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the British cabinet. Other sinecures operate as legal fictions, such as the British office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, used as a legal excuse for resigning from Parliament.

List of sinecures

See also


Translations: Sinecure
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sinecure

Nederlands (Dutch)
sinecure, kleinigheid

Français (French)
n. - sinécure

Deutsch (German)
n. - Pfründe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αργομισθία

Italiano (Italian)
sinecura

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sinecura (f)

Русский (Russian)
синекура

Español (Spanish)
n. - canonjía, sinecura

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sinekur

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
闲职, 挂名职务

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 閒職, 掛名職務

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (명예 또는 수입이 있는) 명예직, 명목뿐인 목사직

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 冗職, 名誉職, 閑職, 無任所聖職禄

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألوظيفه ألعاطله‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮משרה ללא דרישות רבות אך בעלת הכנסה נאה ומעמד מכובד‬


 
 
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