venal

a. [ L. venalis, from venus sale; akin to Gr. 'w^nos price, Skr. vasna: cf. F. vénal. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

The venal cry and prepared vote of a passive senate. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thus needy wits a vile revenue made,
And verse became a mercenary trade. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

This verse be thine, my friend, nor thou refuse
This, from no venal or ungrateful muse. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. venalitas: cf. F. vénalité. ] The quality or state of being venal, or purchasable; mercenariness; prostitution of talents, offices, or services, for money or reward; as, the venality of a corrupt court; the venality of an official. [ 1913 Webster ]

Complaints of Roman venality became louder. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]