impost

[im-pohst]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impost ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a tax; tribute; duty.

a customs duty.

Horse Racing. the weight assigned to a horse in a race.

verb (used with object)

to determine customs duties on, according to the kind of imports.

Origin of impost

1560–70; < Medieval Latin impostus a tax, noun use of Latin impostus, variant of impositus imposed; see imposition

Related formsim·post·er, noun

impost

[im-pohst]

noun Architecture.

the point of springing of an arch; spring.

an architectural feature immediately beneath this point.

Origin of impost

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. 2019

Related Words for impost

duty, levy, fee, weight, tax, custom, charge, toll, tribute, assessment, surtax

Examples from the Web for impost

Historical Examples of impost

This was a greater extortion than usual; but the traders were compelled to accept the impost.
The Scalp Hunters
Mayne Reid
I am afraid we may consider the refusal of the impost as an answer.
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas 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.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, August 18, 1894
Various
Mr. Pymme is considered to have been the father of this impost.
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England
Richard Valpy French

British Dictionary definitions for impost

impost

noun

a tax, esp a customs duty

horse racing the specific weight that a particular horse must carry in a handicap race

verb

(tr) US to classify (imported goods) according to the duty payable on them

Derived Formsimposter, noun

Word Origin for impost

C16: from Medieval Latin impostus tax, from Latin impositus imposed; see impose

impost

noun

architect a member at the top of a wall, pier, or column that supports an arch, esp one that has a projecting moulding

Word Origin for impost

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for impost

"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).