emolument

Definitions

e- (out) + molere (grind) + -ment (result) = 'what is ground out.' Originally the meal or fee a miller ground out as his payment for grinding others' grain. The literal flour faded, leaving the pure idea of payment for service.

Why It Means This

A perfect example of a metaphor frozen in a word. An emolument literally meant the grindings — the flour a miller kept as his fee for milling grain. Over centuries the milling context vanished entirely, but the abstract core (a payment earned for service) survived. Today it appears mostly in formal and legal contexts, such as the U.S. Constitution's 'Emoluments Clause.'

Common Collocations

• 1.receive emoluments领取报酬
• 2.emoluments clause报酬条款
• 3.official emoluments公职报酬

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Members of Congress are barred from accepting emoluments from foreign governments.

• 2.

  The post carries a modest salary plus various emoluments.

• 3.

  He resigned all the emoluments attached to the office.