sinecure

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The Word of the Day for February 2 is:

sinecure   \SYE-nih-kyoor\   noun
     : an office or position that requires little or no work 
and that usually provides an income

Example sentence:
     The organization recently restructured its workforce, 
eliminating several positions that had become mere sinecures.

Did you know?
     "Sinecure" comes from the Medieval Latin phrase "sine 
cura," which literally means "without cure." Not surprisingly, 
the earliest known use of "sinecure" referred to an 
ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls -- that is, a 
clerical office in which the job-holder did not have to tend to 
the spiritual care and instruction of church members. Such 
sinecures were virtually done away with by the end of the 19th 
century, but by then the word had acquired a broader sense 
referring to any paid position with few or no responsibilities.