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Origin of the word Sinecure:

Sinecure means literally ‘without cure’. It is derived from the Latin phrase ‘beneficium sine cūrā’ ‘benefice without cure’, that is to say an ecclesiastical office that does not involve the cure of souls (looking after people’s spiritual welfare), the usual duty of a priest.This word developed its meaning and came to be applied to any appointment that involves payment for no work.

The dictionary definitions for Sinecure are as follows:
1. an office or position requiring little or no work, especially oneyielding profitable returns. (noun)
2. an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls. (noun)

Quote from Wikipedia:

‘A sinecure means an office that 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. 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.’

Usage examples:
1. Lazy people may wish for a sinecure.
2. “It’s cheap – employ hard-up poets or novelists looking for a sinecure for a nominal sum, hoover up fees from aspirational students, and the institution is quids in.” — The Guardian, “Education letters”

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