When the church plays a key role in the life of society, interfering in everyday life and politics, it is not surprising that some of the specialized terms penetrate into the speech of the inhabitants. And in times of wars and great diplomacy, fashion for everything foreign, vivid expressions quickly diverge in foreign languages. And in the 21st century, contemporaries do not even realize when they hear the word "sinecure" that it came from medieval Europe. The concept is often painted in negative intonations, but is it deserved? Let's look into history!
From Rome to Berlin
The definition was borrowed from the Germans, so it appeared in Russia as a direct transcription of Sinekure with a negative connotation. Like, we are talking about lazy people, undeservedly resting, while others are toiling at work, but at the same time receiving income. Not quite a fair state of affairs. It must be understood that "sinecure" is a derivative of the original Latin expression sine cura animarum. Literal translation:
- without soul care;
- without healing her;
- without caring for her.
When was such a long and intricate phrase used? She was assigned to the positionadministrator at the temples and churches of Catholic Europe, who did not participate in divine services, was not a pastor for the parishioners. In many ways, the original meaning of "sinecure" is close to the list of duties of domestic clerks. But the latter is not only involved in maintaining documents, but is also involved in temple services, even if he does not have a priesthood degree.
From worker to lazy
Gradually the position degenerated. The life of a priest is full of difficulties, you need to communicate with the flock every day, but a sinecure is a completely different matter. What are these urgent issues for which it is worth distracting from a hobby? You can deal with papers once a month, just when you come for a salary. It was possible to put any idler and sloven in a warm place, so that formally he was in business, but could not seriously harm. As a result, allegorical interpretations appeared:
- High-reward, no-work duties;
- a position in society, taking which you can exist without worries.
In various sources, these values are called either bookish or obsolete. However, contemporaries do not hesitate to resort to a sonorous epithet to characterize a well-occupied post or point to a lucky person who does not have to worry about the results of his work. After all, the money will still go to the account!
From joy to rudeness
There is an ambiguous situation. If you want to understand that this sinecure is good,and that one over there is bad, you need to listen to the intonation of the speaker and follow the context. In a positive way, we are talking about luck, a good place where you can provide for yourself and your family without much effort. And at the same time, a sonorous definition easily becomes an insult: if you hint to the interlocutor that he parasitizes on the team, and all his “achievements” are an empty phrase, because they are in no way connected with his work. Try to choose your words so as not to feel embarrassed!
