emolument
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of emolument
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin ēmolumentum “advantage, benefit,” probably a derivative of ēmol(ere) “to grind out, produce by grinding” ( ē- “from, out of” + molere “to grind”) + -u-, variant before labials of -i- + -mentum noun suffix; see e- 1, mill 1, -i-, -ment
Explanation
Not many workers think of their paychecks as emoluments, but they certainly could. Emolument is another word for the money you receive for working. Pronounce emolument with a long e sound in the first syllable and the accent on the second: "e MALL you ment." Emolument traces back to the Latin word emolumentum, meaning "profit, gain," which is believed to have referred to payments made to millers for grinding corn — emolere means "grind out." Today, perhaps coincidentally, people refer to work as "the grind."
Vocabulary lists containing emolument
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Constitution of the United States
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The US Constitution includes a clause preventing officials from accepting "any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
From BBC • May 14, 2025
What we know: Emolument is an archaic word that is seldom used today, except in legal contexts.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2020
Thank you to those seated up front who contributed to my campaign at the Emolument Level.
From Washington Post • Jun. 7, 2019
In addition, a second emoluments provision in Article II, Section 1 prohibits the president from receiving, on top of his salary, “any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.”
From Slate • Feb. 15, 2017
Emolument is taken from some; patronage from others; objects of pursuit from all.
From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 02 (of 12) by Burke, Edmund
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
