emolument

noun

emol·​u·​ment i-ˈmäl-yə-mənt 

1

: the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites

2

archaic : advantage

Did you know?

The U.S. Constitution includes two emoluments clauses: the foreign emoluments clause, in Article 1, Section 9, prohibits federal officeholders from accepting gifts, payments, or other items of value from foreign states or rulers; the domestic emoluments clause, in Article 2, Section 1, prohibits the president from receiving any compensation from the federal government or from any state beyond what Section 1 outlines for compensation for service as the nation’s chief executive. Like most technical legal terms, emolument is Latin in origin, but chew on this: its Latin predecessor meant simply “advantage,” but that word’s source is emolere, meaning “to produce by grinding,” and its relations include such toothsome words as mill and molar.

Synonyms of emolument

• salary
• wage

Examples of emolument in a Sentence

the annual emolument for the director of the charity is officially only one dollar

Recent Examples on the Web

Democrats have called it an unacceptable gift from a foreign government that is barred by the Constitution, as what is called an emolument. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Some states have enacted sunshine laws that require reporting of the amounts of money or emoluments that pharmaceutical companies pay physicians in connection with marketing activities related to new prescription drugs. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Apr. 2026

The Constitution and statute law ban any official from accepting a gift or emolument from any foreign state. — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2026

The litigation took a slow route to the Supreme Court, which had never previously ruled on the definition of an emolument. — Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin emolumentum advantage, from emolere to produce by grinding, from e- + molere to grind — more at meal

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

emolument

noun

emol·​u·​ment i-ˈmäl-yə-mənt 

: profit from one's job or from an office held : salary, wages

Legal Definition

emolument

noun

emol·​u·​ment i-ˈmäl-yə-mənt 

: a return arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites

the President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation…and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument

—U.S. Constitution art. II