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cess

1 American  
[ses] / sɛs /

noun

  1. British. a tax, assessment, or lien.

  2. (in Scotland) a land tax.

  3. (in Ireland) a military assessment.

  4. (in India) an import or sales tax on a commodity.


verb (used with object)

  1. British. to tax; assess.

cess 2 American  
[ses] / sɛs /

noun

Irish English Informal.
  1. luck (usually used in the expressionbad cess to ).

    Bad cess to them!


cess 1 British  
/ sɛs /

noun

  1. any of several special taxes, such as a land tax in Scotland

    1. the obligation to provide the soldiers and household of the lord deputy with supplies at fixed prices

    2. any military exaction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to tax or assess for taxation

  2. (formerly in Ireland) to impose (soldiers) upon a population, to be supported by them

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cess 2 British  
/ sɛs /

noun

  1. an Irish slang word for luck

    bad cess to you!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cess 3 British  
/ sɛs /

noun

  1. short for cesspool

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cess1

1400–50; late Middle English; aphetic variant of obsolete assess assessment, noun use of assess (v.)

Origin of cess2

First recorded in 1855–60; perhaps aphetic variant of success

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kelly Cess, an editorial director at the vitamin-and-supplement company Olly, reserves a quiet room each Tuesday, her in-office day, after commuting on San Francisco’s packed public transit.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s become a mandatory part of my routine,” said Cess, age 41, whose perimenopause symptoms include brain fog, vertigo, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and acute difficulty regulating her temperature.

From The Wall Street Journal

The comments are where the cess is pooled.

From Washington Post

The release alleges that Jessica “Cess Milla” Heyliger, 35, of Jamaica, Queens, was the “principal dealer of the weapons,” with Richmond-based Laquan Benson, 36, acting as “her main supplier.”

From Fox News

Newly resurfaced footage shows the president describing Epstein’s private Carribean island as a “cess pool.”

From Fox News