sinecure

Definition

A position that requires little to no work, or easy work, but still gives an ample payment; a cushy job.

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin sine cūrā (literally “without care”), ellipsis of beneficium sine cūrā (“benefice without cure [of souls, i.e. the office of a curate]”), formed from Medieval Latin sine (“without”) + cūrā (“care, charge, cure”).

Example Sentences

• "Miss Briggs was not formally dismissed, but her place as companion was a sinecure and a derision […]"
• "A lucrative sinecure in the Excise was bestowed on Ferguson."
• "His prospects consisted of a hope that if he kept up appearances somebody would do something for him. The something appeared vaguely to his imagination as a private secretaryship or a sinecure of some sort."

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