impost1
[im-pohst]
- a tax; tribute; duty.
- a customs duty.
- Horse Racing. the weight assigned to a horse in a race.
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- to determine customs duties on, according to the kind of imports.
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Origin of impost1
1560–70; < Medieval Latin impostus a tax, noun use of Latin impostus, variant of impositus imposed; see imposition
impost2
[im-pohst]
- the point of springing of an arch; spring.
- an architectural feature immediately beneath this point.
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Origin of impost2
1655–65; < French imposte < Italian imposta < Latin: feminine of impostus (past participle); see impost1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for impost
Historical Examples
This was a greater extortion than usual; but the traders were compelled to accept the impost.
The Scalp HuntersMayne Reid
I am afraid we may consider the refusal of the impost as an answer.
The Writings of Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
But where is the necessity of raising the impost to this degree?
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)Thomas Hart Benton
It makes things so awkward for the impost—the imitators, I mean.
Mr. Pymme is considered to have been the father of this impost.
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in EnglandRichard Valpy French
impost1
- a tax, esp a customs duty
- horse racing the specific weight that a particular horse must carry in a handicap race
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- (tr) US to classify (imported goods) according to the duty payable on them
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Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin impostus tax, from Latin impositus imposed; see impose
impost2
- architect a member at the top of a wall, pier, or column that supports an arch, esp one that has a projecting moulding
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Word Origin
C17: from French imposte, from Latin impositus placed upon; see impose
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for impost
n.
"tax, duty," 1560s, from Middle French impost, from Medieval Latin impostum, from neuter of Latin impostus, contracted from impositus, past participle of imponere (see impostor).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper