Words are very powerful — so become empowered by enhancing your vocabulary! Check out this week’s word ‘Douceur’, a new entrant to the Oxford Dictionary

Douceur

Noun

Definition: A financial inducement; a bribe

Examples: “Pericles gave a handsome douceur to the Spartan commanders to withdraw without fighting.”

“He had arranged for fraudulent South Sea shares to be given to the king, and had overseen the distribution of douceurs in Parliament to help things along.”

“Clearly, the Contaminated Land Register has caused a market paralysis so there has to be a fiscal douceur to compensate.”

“He thoughtfully offered to forget the debt if the tenants gave him a ‘douceur’ of £1200 and emigrated to Australia or Canada.”

Origin: French, literally ‘sweetness’.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 2nd, 2015