excise

[ noun ek-sahyz, -sahys; verb ek-sahyz, ik-sahyz ]

See synonyms for: excise excised on Thesaurus.com

noun

an internal tax or duty on certain commodities, as liquor or tobacco, levied on their manufacture, sale, or consumption within the country.
a tax levied for a license to carry on certain employments, pursue certain sports, etc.

British. the branch of the civil service that collects excise taxes.

verb (used with object),ex·cised, ex·cising.

to impose an excise on.

Origin of excise

1485–95; apparently <Middle Dutch excijs, variant of accijs<Medieval Latin accīsa tax, literally, a cut, noun use of feminine past participle of Latin accīdere to cut into, equivalent to ac-ac- + cīd-, variant stem of caedere to cut + -ta feminine past participle suffix, with dt>s

Other definitions for excise (2 of 2)

excise²

[ ik-sahyz ]

verb (used with object),ex·cised, ex·cis·ing.

to expunge, as a passage or sentence, from a text.
to cut out or off, as a tumor.

Origin of excise

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin excīsus “cut out, hewn down,” past participle of excīdere “to excide”

Other words from excise

ex·cis·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use excise in a sentence

Identifying and excising faulty accounts takes up more and more of their time as the country splinters again.
ISIS Fighters Are Killing Faster than Statisticians Can Count | Peter Schwartzstein | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Excising them, he says, was more of a business decision than a moral one.
The Importance of Adult Classifieds | Hazlitt | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
After excising him from her life completely, Hannah is rescued from rock bottom of an emotional meltdown by Adam (Adam Driver).
‘Girls’ Season 3 Trailer Debuts. Is It the Most Relatable Yet? | Kevin Fallon | November 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the case of the electromagnetic force, a panacea was found in 1947, excising infinity to reveal finite, correct, answers.
Finding Higgs Boson, or God Particle, Will Resolve Scientific Mysteries | Frank Close | December 17, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The latter operation consists in excising a wedge-shaped piece of the posterior wall of the urethra containing the caruncle.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various

Excising of small areas to reveal paste and to strengthen tonal qualities of designs.
North Devon Pottery and Its Export to America in the 17th Century | C. Malcolm Watkins
The lid is first freed by dividing all the cicatricial bands, or, if only a small cicatrix be present, by excising that.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various
If the obstruction be due to a fibrous band, an attempt may be made to remove it by excising it by the intrameatal method.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various
No, but I was opposed to using a saw, in lieu of a lancet, in excising the ulcers of that body politic at that time.
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912 | James H. Blount

British Dictionary definitions for excise (1 of 2)

excise¹

noun(ˈɛksaɪz, ɛkˈsaɪz)

Also called: excise tax a tax on goods, such as spirits, produced for the home market
a tax paid for a licence to carry out various trades, sports, etc

British that section of the government service responsible for the collection of excise, now part of HMRC

Origin of excise

C15: probably from Middle Dutch excijs, probably from Old French assise a sitting, assessment, from Latin assidēre to sit beside, assist in judging, from sedēre to sit

Derived forms of excise

excisable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for excise (2 of 2)

excise²

/ (ɪkˈsaɪz) /

verb(tr)

to delete (a passage, sentence, etc); expunge
to remove (an organ, structure, or part) surgically

Origin of excise

C16: from Latin excīdere to cut down; see excide

Derived forms of excise

excision (ɪkˈsɪʒən), noun

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

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