VENAL
corruptible, bribable, dishonest, purchasable, venal
(adjective) capable of being corrupted; “corruptible judges”; “dishonest politicians”; “a purchasable senator”; “a venal police officer”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adjective
venal (comparative more venal, superlative most venal)
Venous; pertaining to veins.
Etymology 2
Adjective
venal (comparative more venal, superlative most venal)
(archaic) For sale; available for purchase.
Synonym: purchasable
Of a position, privilege etc.: available for purchase rather than assigned on merit.
Capable of being bought (of a person); willing to take bribes.
Synonym: crooked
Antonyms: straight, honest, uncorrupt
(of behaviour etc.) Corrupt, mercenary.
Usage notes
Venal behavior (bribery/corruption) is not to be confused with venial behavior (mildly wrong behavior).
Anagrams
• Alven, Levan, elvan, levan, navel
Source: Wiktionary
Ve"nal, a. Etym: [L. vena a vein.]
Definition: Of or pertaining to veins; venous; as, venal blood. [R.]
Ve"nal, a. Etym: [L. venalis, from venus sale; akin to Gr. vasna: cf.
F. vénal.]
Definition: Capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable
consideration; made matter of trade or barter; held for sale;
salable; mercenary; purchasable; hireling; as, venal services. " Paid
court to venal beauties." Macaulay.
The venal cry and prepared vote of a passive senate. Burke.
Syn.
– Mercenary; hireling; vendible.
– Venal, Mercenary. One is mercenary who is either actually a
hireling (as, mercenary soldiers, a mercenary judge, etc.), or is
governed by a sordid love of gain; hence, we speak of mercenary
motives, a mercenary marriage, etc. Venal goes further, and supposes
either an actual purchase, or a readiness to be purchased, which
places a person or thing wholly in the power of the purchaser; as, a
venal press. Brissot played ingeniously on the latter word in his
celebrated saying, " My pen is venal that it may not be mercenary,"
meaning that he wrote books, and sold them to the publishers, in
order to avoid the necessity of being the hireling of any political
party.
Thus needy wits a vile revenue made, And verse became a mercenary
trade. Dryden.
This verse be thine, my friend, nor thou refuse This, from no venal
or ungrateful muse. Pope.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition