Venal
/ˈviːnəl/noun
Capable of being bought or influenced by money or other gain; corrupt.
Did you know?Venal comes from Latin *vēnālis*, meaning “for sale,” from *vēnum* (“sale”), and its cousin *venal* helped give English the idea that some things — and people — can be morally purchased.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wenh₁-
“to desire, strive for”
Latin
Latin
vēnum
“sale; that which is sold”
Latin
Latin
vēnālis
“for sale; marketable”
Late Latin
LL
vēnālis
“bribable; open to corruption”
Middle English
English
venal
“mercenary; capable of being bought”
Modern English
English
venal
“corruptible through bribery or money”