venal
Of a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on meritOf a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit.
» Can someone explain to me why a venal judge was appointed?
Meaning
5 sensesOf a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit.
Capable of being bought (of a person); willing to take bribes.
käuflich, feil, korrupt
прода́жныйprodážnyj
Corrupt, mercenary.
korrupt, verkommen, verderbt
(archaic, rare)Venous; pertaining to veins.
(archaic)For sale; available for purchase.
käuflich, erwerbbar, feilgeboten
продажныйprodažnyj
- capable of being corrupted
Examples
3 sentencesCan someone explain to me why a venal judge was appointed?
A lack of money makes anyone venal. It's natural.
Venal offices were government positions sold by the French state during the Ancien Régime.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 3
Origin
From Latin vēna (“vein”) + -al. Borrowed from French vénal, from Old French venel, from LFrom Latin vēna (“vein”) + -al.
Borrowed from French vénal, from Old French venel, from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”); compare English vend.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more venal, most venal| Comparative | more venal Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most venal Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
5 synonyms- capable of being corrupted:corruptiblebribabledishonestpurchasable
Antonyms
3 antonymsWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form