farmer-general

American

[fahr-mer-jen-er-uhl] / ˈfɑr mərˈdʒɛn ər əl /

noun

plural

farmers-general

(in France, under the old monarchy) a member of a company of capitalists that farmed certain taxes.

farmer-general British

noun

(in France before 1789) a member of a group allowed to farm certain taxes

"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

Other Word Forms

farmer-generalship noun

Etymology

Origin of farmer-general

1705–15; translation of French fermier-général

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.

It was characteristic of the man that, as soon as he thought his fortune sufficient, he gave up his post of farmer-general, and retired to an estate in the country, where he employed his large means in the relief of the poor, the encouragement of agriculture and the development of industries.

From Project Gutenberg

At the age of twenty-three, at the queen’s request, he was appointed farmer-general, a post of great responsibility and dignity worth a 100,000 crowns a year.

From Project Gutenberg

His father, a farmer-general of taxes, was a man of literary tastes, and young H�nault obtained a good education at the Jesuit college.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a farmer-general of the taxes, and amassed an immense fortune by grinding the poor.

From Project Gutenberg

Ultimately, continues the report, she "accepted the propositions" of the wealthy farmer-general, La Popelini�re, who posed as a patron of the arts, and, through his influence, mounted the stage of the Palais-Royal.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023