publican

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See also: Publican

English[edit]

WOTD – 8 December 2022

Pronunciation[edit]

A publican (etymology 1, sense 1) in a pub in Madley, Herefordshire, England, U.K.

Etymology 1[edit]

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.[1]

Noun[edit]

publican (plural publicans)

  1. (chiefly British) The landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging; a pub”).
    Synonyms: (obsolete) ale-draper, alekeep, alekeeper, (Britain) licensed victualler, (Britain) licensee, (Britain, obsolete slang) bung, taverner, tavernkeep, tavernkeeper
  2. (Australia, New Zealand, by extension) The manager or owner of a hotel.
    Synonym: hotelier
Hyponyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
manager or owner of a hotel — see hotelier
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

An illustration of Luke 19:1–10 in the Bible, which relates the story of Zacchaeus, the chief publican (etymology 2, sense 1) or tax collector of Jericho who climbs a tree to see Jesus. Jesus, addressing him by name, asks him to come down as he intends to stay at his house. The crowd is surprised that Jesus wishes to consort with someone they regard as sinful. However, Zacchaeus promises to give half of his possessions to the poor, and to return four times the amount of any money he has cheated from anyone. Jesus then says to him, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is the son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost.”[n 1]

From Middle English publican [and other forms],[2] 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”),[1] ultimately from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”), further etymology unknown.

Sense 3.2 (“person excommunicated from the church; person who does not follow a Christian religion”) refers to Matthew 18:17 of the Bible:[1] see the King James Version quotation under sense 1.

cognates

Noun[edit]

publican (plural publicans)

  1. (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.
  2. (by extension, archaic) Any person who collects customs duties, taxes, tolls, or other forms of public revenue.
    • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 27:
      Another ſort there be vvho vvhen they hear that all things ſhall be order'd, all things regulated and ſetl'd; nothing vvritt'n but vvhat paſſes through the cuſtom-houſe of certain Publicans that have the tunaging and the poundaging of all free ſpok'n truth, vvill ſtrait give themſelvs up into your hands, mak 'em, & cut 'em out vvhat religion ye pleaſe; […]
    • 1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, “Of Christian Sobriety”, in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC, section VI (Of Contentedness in All Estates and Accidents), page 140:
      […] I am fallen into the hands of Publicans and Sequeſtrators, and they have taken all from me, vvhat novv? let me look about me. They have left me the Sun and the Moon, Fire and vvater, a loving vvife, and many friends to pity me, and ſome to relieve me, […]
    • 1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, pages 36–37:
      Nor could the Treasury effectually restrain the chimneyman from using his powers with harshness: for the tax was farmed; and the government was consequently forced to connive at outrages and exactions such as have, in every age, made the name of publican a proverb for all that is most hateful.
  3. (figuratively, archaic)
    1. One regarded as extorting money from others by charging high prices.
    2. (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.
Alternative forms[edit]
Translations[edit]
any person who collects customs duties, taxes, tolls, or other forms of public revenue — see tax collector
person excommunicated from the church — see excommunicant
person who does not follow a Christian religion — see heathen,‎ pagan

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Luke 19:9–10, column 2: “This day is ſaluation come to this houſe, forſomuch as he alſo is the ſonne of Abraham. For the ſonne of man is come to ſeeke, and to ſaue that which was loſt.”

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “publican, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “publican, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ “pū̆blicā̆n, n.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Further reading[edit]

Galician[edit]

Verb[edit]

publican

  1. third-person plural present indicative of publicar

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin publicanus.

Noun[edit]

publican m (plural publicani)

  1. tax collector, publican

Declension[edit]

Declension of publican
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) publican publicanul (niște) publicani publicanii
genitive/dative (unui) publican publicanului (unor) publicani publicanilor
vocative publicanule publicanilor

Spanish[edit]

Verb[edit]

publican

  1. third-person plural present indicative of publicar
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