Apedia

Position Paid Latin Earliest Souls Church Sinecures Sine

Front sinecure \SY-nih-kyur; SIN-ih-\
Back noun
A position in which one is paid for little or no work.

["Sinecure" comes from the Medieval Latin phrase "sine cura," which literally means "without cure." Not surprisingly, the earliest known use of "sinecure" referred to an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls — that is, a clerical office in which the job-holder did not have to tend to the spiritual care and instruction of church members. Such sinecures were virtually done away with by the end of the 19th century, but by then the word had acquired a broader sense referring to any paid position with few or no responsibilities.

From Latin beneficium sine cura (a church position not involving caring for the souls of the parishioners), from sine (without) + cura (care). Earliest documented use: 1662.]

“Some 200,000 civil servants have been enlisted. Half are fairly useless: former guerrillas given sinecures to keep the peace. This cannot last. Some 75% of the budget is spent on wages.” - A New Country Rises from the Ruins; South Sudan; The Economist (London, UK); May 4, 2013. 

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