Publican

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Publican \Pub"li*can\, n. [L. publicanus: cf. F. publicain. See
     {Public}.]
     1. (Rom. Antiq.) 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.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              As Jesus at meat . . . many publicans and sinners
              came and sat down with him and his disciples.
                                                    --Matt. 1x.
                                                    10.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              How like a fawning publican he looks! --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The keeper of an inn or public house; one licensed to
        retail beer, spirits, or wine.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  publican
       n : the keeper of a public house [syn: {tavern keeper}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  29 Moby Thesaurus words for "publican":
     Internal Revenue Service, assessor, barkeep, barkeeper, barmaid,
     barman, bartender, bootlegger, brewer, brewmaster, customhouse,
     customs, distiller, exciseman, farmer, liquor dealer,
     liquor store owner, mixologist, moonshiner, revenuer, tapster,
     tapstress, tax assessor, tax collector, tax farmer, taxer, taxman,
     vintner, wine merchant
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Publican
     one who farmed the taxes (e.g., Zacchaeus, Luke 19:2) to be
     levied from a town or district, and thus undertook to pay to the
     supreme government a certain amount. In order to collect the
     taxes, the publicans employed subordinates (5:27; 15:1; 18:10),
     who, for their own ends, were often guilty of extortion and
     peculation. In New Testament times these taxes were paid to the
     Romans, and hence were regarded by the Jews as a very heavy
     burden, and hence also the collectors of taxes, who were
     frequently Jews, were hated, and were usually spoken of in very
     opprobrious terms. Jesus was accused of being a "friend of
     publicans and sinners" (Luke 7:34).
     

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  PUBLICAN, civil law. A farmer of the public revenue; one who held a lease of 
  some property from the public treasury. Dig. 39, 4, 1, 1; Id. 39, 4, 12, 3; 
  Id. 39, 4, 13.