emolument

emo·lu·ment
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UK/ɪˈmɒljʊmənt/UK/ɛ-/UK/-jə-/US/əˈmɑljəmənt/

noun

Payment for employment or an office; compensation for a job, which is usually monetary.

“Near-synonym: inurement”

UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounemolument (plural emoluments)

plural emoluments

  1. formalPayment for employment or an office; compensation for a job, which is usually monetary.

    Plus, the Department of Justice has argued in the past that SGEs are subject to the emoluments clause, which means they cannot take payments from foreign governments.

    2025 April 23, Zachary B. Wolf, “Elon Musk’s government role gets even murkier”, in CNN
    3 more examples

    No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

    1787, Philadelphia Convention, United States Constitution

    Even when a mere child I began my travels, and made many tours of discovery into foreign parts and unknown regions of my native city, to the frequent alarm of my parents, and the emolument of the town-crier.

    1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Author’s Account of Himself”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 5

    The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor [...] had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument equal to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy.

    1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter X, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

    Synonyms: compensation, fee, payment, remuneration

    1. archaicformalMulture paid to a miller.

      Synonyms: compensation, fee, payment, remuneration

  2. Material benefit, either direct or indirect.

    Near-synonym: inurement

    Synonyms: inurement

Synonyms & antonyms

nounPayment for employment or an office; compensation for a job, which is usually monetary.

nounMulture paid to a miller.

nounMaterial benefit, either direct or indirect.

Similar

Origin

  1. Latinēmolumentum
  2. Old Frenchemolument
  3. Middle Englishemolument
  4. Englishemolument

From Middle English emolument, from Old French emolument, from Latin ēmolumentum.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian заплата, възнаграждение
  • заплата (zaplata)payment for an office or employment
  • възнаграждение (văznagraždenie)payment for an office or employment
Catalan emolument
  • emolumentpayment for an office or employment
Chinese Mandarin 報酬 /报酬, 酬金
  • 報酬 /报酬 (bàochou)payment for an office or employment
  • 酬金 (chóujīn)payment for an office or employment
Dutch bijverdienste
  • bijverdienstepayment for an office or employment
Finnish korvaus
  • korvauspayment for an office or employment
French émolument
  • émolumentpayment for an office or employment
German Vergütung, Honorar
  • Vergütungpayment for an office or employment
  • Honorarpayment for an office or employment
  • Diätpayment for an office or employment
Indonesian emolumen
  • emolumenpayment for an office or employment
Italian emolumento
  • emolumentopayment for an office or employment
Malay emolumen
  • emolumenpayment for an office or employment
Polish uposażenie
  • uposażeniepayment for an office or employment
Portuguese emolumento
  • emolumentopayment for an office or employment
Romanian onorariu, leafă
  • onorariupayment for an office or employment
  • leafăpayment for an office or employment
  • salariupayment for an office or employment
  • răsplatăpayment for an office or employment
  • platăpayment for an office or employment
Russian вознагражде́ние, гонора́р
  • вознагражде́ние (voznagraždénije)payment for an office or employment
  • гонора́р (gonorár)payment for an office or employment
  • опла́та (opláta)payment for an office or employment
  • пла́та (pláta)payment for an office or employment
Spanish emolumento, pie de altar
  • emolumentopayment for an office or employment
  • pie de altarpayment for an office or employment
Swedish arvode
  • arvodepayment for an office or employment
Cite this entry
APA

emolument. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emolument

MLA

“emolument.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emolument. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “emolument,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emolument.

Source: emolument on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.