publican
UK /ˈpʌblɪk(ə)n/ · US /ˈpʌblək(ə)n/ noun
Forms publicans publicane puplican
- noun (chiefly UK, Ireland) The landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging; a pub”).
- noun (Commonwealth, by extension) The manager or owner of a hotel.
- noun (Ancient Rome, historical) A tax collector, especially one working in Judea and Galilee during New Testament times (1st century C.E.) who was generally regarded as sinful for extorting more tax than was due, and as a traitor for serving the Roman Empire.
- noun (by extension, archaic) Any person who collects customs duties, taxes, tolls, or other forms of public revenue.
- noun One regarded as extorting money from others by charging high prices.
- noun (Christianity) A person excommunicated from the church; an excommunicant or excommunicate; also, a person who does not follow a Christian religion; a heathen, a pagan.
- noun Synonym of Arnoldist.
Synonyms
ale-draper alekeep alekeeper licensed victualler licensee bung taverner tavernkeep tavernkeeper hotelier Arnoldist tavern keeper
Etymology
Probably from public house (“(Britain) bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging, pub”) or public (“open to all members of a community”) + -an (suffix forming agent nouns), apparently originally used humorously.
From Middle English publican [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman publican, pupplican, Middle French publicain, and Old French publican, publicain, pupplican (“tax collector”) (modern French publicain), and from their etymon Latin pūblicānus (“tax collector”), from pūblicum (“state revenue”) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, usually indicating relationships of origin, position, or possession). Pūblicum is a noun use of the neuter form of pūblicus (“of or belonging to the people, state, or community; general, public”), ultimately from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”).
Sense 3.2 (“person excommunicated from the church; person who does not follow a Christian religion”) refers to Matthew 18:17 of the Bible: see the King James Version quotation under sense 1.
* Middle Dutch publicaen, puppilicaen, pupplicaen (modern Dutch publicaan (obsolete), publikaan)
* Middle High German publicān, publicāne (early modern German Publican).
* Middle Low German pūblicān
* Old Occitan publican, puplican
Perhaps from Paulician.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation.
- noun The keeper of an inn or public house; one licensed to retail beer, spirits, or wine.
Etymology [L. publicanus: cf. F. publicain. See Public.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “publican”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details