venal
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venal¹
- /ˈviːnəl/
Rhymes with -iːnəl
Where it comes from
From Latin vēna (“vein”) + -al.
adjective more venal · most venal
- Venous; pertaining to veins.
venal²
- /ˈviːnəl/
Rhymes with -iːnəl
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French vénal, from Old French venel, from Latin vēnālis (“for sale”), from vēnum (“something for sale”); compare English vend.
adjective more venal · most venal
-
For sale; available for purchase.
Because lips libertine and and venal had murmured such words to him, he believed but little in the candour of hers; […].
Similar: purchasable
- Of a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit. Thus, regimental commands in the army were – as with the judiciary or the financial bureaucracy – venal posts, which were purchased, bequeathed and sold among the nobility.
- Capable of being bought (of a person); willing to take bribes.
- Corrupt, mercenary. Though there is a disposition in mankind, to declaim against the corruption and peculation of the present times, as being more venal than formerly; yet, if we look back to different periods, we shall find statesmen and politicians, as selfish and corrupt, […] as those who have lately figured on the
Translations
Every language
adj for sale, available for a price
| Español | venal |
|---|---|
| Français | vénal |
| Deutsch | käuflich, erwerbbar, feilgeboten |
| Ελληνικά | παραδόπιστος paradópistos, αργυρώνητος argyrónitos, εξαγοράσιμος exagorásimos |
| Русский | продажный prodažnyj |
adj willing to take bribes
| Español | venal |
|---|---|
| Français | vénal |
| Deutsch | käuflich, feil, korrupt, bestechlich |
| Ελληνικά | αργυρώνητος argyrónitos, δωροδοκούμενος dorodokoúmenos |
| Русский | прода́жный prodážnyj |
adj corrupt, mercenary
| Español | venal |
|---|---|
| Français | vénal |
| Deutsch | korrupt, verkommen, verderbt |
| Italiano | venale |
| Ελληνικά | παραδόπιστος paradópistos, αργυρώνητος argyrónitos |
Talk about this word "venal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/venal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. venal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/venal "venal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/venal.Cite this
@misc{venal_2026,
title = {venal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/venal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
