sinecure

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>sinecure</strong> &#149; \SYE-nih-kyoor\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Sinecure</em> is a noun that refers to a usually paid job or position that requires little or no work. </p> <p>// The king was in the habit of rewarding his loyal supporters with <em>sinecures</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinecure">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“To make matters worse, the architects of failure are rarely, if ever, held accountable. Instead of acknowledging their mistakes openly, even discredited former officials can head off to corporate boards, safe <em>sinecures</em>, or lucrative consulting firms, hoping to return to power as soon as their party regains the White House. Once back in office, they are free to repeat their previous mistakes, backed by a chorus of pundits whose recommendations never change no matter how often they’ve failed.” — Stephen M. Walt, <em>Foreign Policy</em>, 3 Mar. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>A sinecure (pronounced \SYE-nih-kyoor&#92;) sounds like a pretty sweet deal: it’s a job or title that usually comes with regular money but with little or no work. Who wouldn’t want that? While the thing <em>sinecure</em> refers to might be desirable, the word itself is typically used with disdain—if someone refers to your job as a sinecure they don’t think you earn the money you collect by doing it. The word’s roots are likewise served with some side-eye: it comes from the Medieval Latin <em>sine cura</em>, meaning “without cure”—the lack of cure in this case being one for souls. The original sinecure was a church position that didn’t involve the spiritual care or instruction of church members (theoretically, the church’s sole purpose). Ecclesiastical sinecures have been a