cess

[ses]

noun

British. a tax, assessment, or lien.

(in Scotland) a land tax.

(in Ireland) a military assessment.

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

verb (used with object)

British. to tax; assess.

Nearby words

Origin of cess

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cessed

And frequently they were forced to pay quartering money for more men than were in reality “cessed on them.”
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XXII (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
And frequently they were forced to pay quartering money for more men than were in reality ‘cessed on them.’
Lay Morals|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for cessed

cess

noun

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

(formerly, in Ireland)

the obligation to provide the soldiers and household of the lord deputy with supplies at fixed prices
any military exaction

verb

(tr) British to tax or assess for taxation

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

Word Origin for cess

C16: short for assessment

cess

noun

an Irish slang word for luck bad cess to you!

Word Origin for cess

C19: probably from cess 1 (sense 2)

cess

noun

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

Word Origin and History for cessed

cess

"tax, levy," 1530s, short for assess (q.v.).