publican

See also: Publican

English

WOTD – 8 December 2022

Pronunciation

A publican (etymology 1, sense 1) in a pub in Madley, Herefordshire, England, U.K.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌblɪk(ə)n/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌblək(ə)n/
• Hyphenation: pub‧lic‧an

Etymology 1

Probably from public house (“(Britain) bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging, pub”) or public (“open to all members of a community”) +‎ -an (suffix forming agent nouns), apparently originally used humorously.^[1]

Noun

publican (plural publicans)

1. (chiefly UK, Ireland) The landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging; a pub”).

   Synonyms: (obsolete) ale-draper, alekeep, alekeeper, (Britain) licensed victualler, (Britain) licensee, (Britain, obsolete slang) bung, taverner, tavernkeep, tavernkeeper

   • 1890, Rudyard Kipling, “Tommy”, in Barrack-Room Ballads and Other Verses, 3rd edition, London: Methuen & Co. […], published 1892, →OCLC, page 6:

     I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer, / The publican 'e up an 'sez, 'We serve no red-coats here.'

2. (Commonwealth, by extension) The manager or owner of a hotel.

   Synonym: hotelier

Hyponyms

• Abraham Grains (thieves’ cant, obsolete)

Translations

landlord of a public house

Arabic: دِهْقَان m (dihqān), دُهْقَان m (duhqān), دِهْقَانَة f (dihqāna) Bulgarian: кръчмар m (krǎčmar) Catalan: cantiner m, taverner (ca) m, cantinera f, tavernera (ca) f Czech: hospodský m, hospodská f Dutch: waard (nl) m Finnish: pubinpitäjä French: patron de bistro m, patronne de bistro f, bistrot (fr) m Old French: oste m Georgian: მიკიტანი (miḳiṭani) Irish: óstóir m, tábhairneoir m Italian: barista (it) m or f, bettoliere m, oste (it) m, ostessa (it) f, taverniere (it) m, taverniera f Macedonian: крчмар m (krčmar), крчмарка f (krčmarka) Polish: karczmarz (pl) m, karczmarka (pl) f, austernik m (archaic), oberżysta (pl) m, oberżystka f Russian: каба́тчик (ru) m (kabátčik), корчма́рь (ru) m (korčmárʹ), шинка́рь (ru) m (šinkárʹ) Scottish Gaelic: fear an taighe m Swedish: pubinnehavare c Welsh: tafarnwr m, tafarnwraig f

manager or owner of a hotel — see hotelier

See also

• Thesaurus:pub

Etymology 2

An illustration of Luke 19:1–10 in the Bible, which relates the story of Zacchaeus, the chief publican (etymology 2, sense 1) or tax collector of Jericho who climbs a tree to see Jesus. Jesus, addressing him by name, asks him to come down as he intends to stay at his house. The crowd is surprised that Jesus wishes to consort with someone they regard as sinful. However, Zacchaeus promises to give half of his possessions to the poor, and to return four times the amount of any money he has cheated from anyone. Jesus then says to him, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is the son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost.”^{[n 1]}

From Middle English publican [and other forms],^[2] from Anglo-Norman publican, pupplican, Middle French publicain, and Old French publican, publicain, pupplican (“tax collector”) (modern French publicain), and from their etymon Latin pūblicānus (“tax collector”), from pūblicum (“state revenue”) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, usually indicating relationships of origin, position, or possession). Pūblicum is a noun use of the neuter form of pūblicus (“of or belonging to the people, state, or community; general, public”),^[1] ultimately from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”), further etymology unknown.

Sense 3.2 (“person excommunicated from the church; person who does not follow a Christian religion”) refers to Matthew 18:17 of the Bible:^[1] see the King James Version quotation under sense 1.

cognates

• Catalan publicà
• Italian pubblicano
• Middle Dutch publicaen, puppilicaen, pupplicaen (modern Dutch publicaan (obsolete), publikaan)
• Middle High German publicān, publicāne (early modern German Publican).
• Middle Low German pūblicān
• Old Occitan publican, puplican
• Portuguese publicano
• Spanish publicano

Noun

publican (plural publicans)

1. (Ancient Rome, historical) A tax collector, especially one working in Judea and Galilee during New Testament times (1st century C.E.) who was generally regarded as sinful for extorting more tax than was due, and as a traitor for serving the Roman Empire.
   • 1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Jerome, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of Saincte Matthew. The Lyfe of Sainct Matthew […].”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente, London: […] Edwarde Whitchurche, →OCLC, folio xix, recto:

     Matthevv vvhiche vvas other vvyſe alſo called Leui, beyng of a Puplican made an Apoſtle, firſt of all others compoſed and vvrote in Jevvrye, the ghoſpell of Chriſte in the Hebrue tounge, […]

   • 1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Ghospell of S. Luke. The .iii. Chapter.”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente, London: […] Edwarde Whitchurche, →OCLC, folio xliii, verso:

     [T]he Publicans, that is to ſaye, the cuſtomers and takers vp of tolles, […]

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Hovv like a favvning Publican he lookes.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 18:17, column 1:

     [I]f he [a brother who trespasses against one] neglect to heare the Church, let him be vnto thee as an heathen man, and a Publicane.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 19:2, column 2:

     [T]here was a man named Zacheus, which was the cheefe among the Publicanes, and he was rich.

   • 1760, Edmund Burke, “An Essay towards an Abridgment of the English History. […]. Chapter III. The Reduction of Britain by the Romans.”, in [Walker King], editor, The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, new edition, volume X, London: […] [R. Gilbert] for C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], published 1826, →OCLC, book I, page 232:

     The provinces groaned at once under all the severity of publick imposition, and the rapaciousness of private usury. They were overrun by publicans, farmers of the taxes, agents, confiscators, usurers, bankers, those numerous and insatiable bodies, which always flourish in a burthened and complicated revenue.

   • 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 13.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, pages 5–6:

     Now, Mrs. Varden, […] believing, moreover, that the publicans coupled with sinners in Holy Writ were veritable licensed victuallers; was far from being favourably disposed towards her visitor.

   • 1880 November 12, Lew[is] Wallace, chapter II, in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, book eighth, page 486:

     He brings twelve men with him, fishermen, tillers of the soil, one a publican, all of the humbler class; and he and they make their journeys on foot, careless of wind, cold, rain, or sun.

2. (by extension, archaic) Any person who collects customs duties, taxes, tolls, or other forms of public revenue.
   • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 27:

     Another ſort there be vvho vvhen they hear that all things ſhall be order'd, all things regulated and ſetl'd; nothing vvritt'n but vvhat paſſes through the cuſtom-houſe of certain Publicans that have the tunaging and the poundaging of all free ſpok'n truth, vvill ſtrait give themſelvs up into your hands, mak 'em, & cut 'em out vvhat religion ye pleaſe; […]

   • 1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, “Of Christian Sobriety”, in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC, section VI (Of Contentedness in All Estates and Accidents), page 140:

     […] I am fallen into the hands of Publicans and Sequeſtrators, and they have taken all from me, vvhat novv? let me look about me. They have left me the Sun and the Moon, Fire and vvater, a loving vvife, and many friends to pity me, and ſome to relieve me, […]

   • 1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, pages 36–37:

     Nor could the Treasury effectually restrain the chimneyman from using his powers with harshness: for the tax was farmed; and the government was consequently forced to connive at outrages and exactions such as have, in every age, made the name of publican a proverb for all that is most hateful.

3. (figuratively, archaic)
   1. One regarded as extorting money from others by charging high prices.
   2. (Christianity) A person excommunicated from the church; an excommunicant or excommunicate; also, a person who does not follow a Christian religion; a heathen, a pagan.

Alternative forms

• publicane, puplican (both obsolete)

Translations

tax collector, especially one working in Judea and Galilee during New Testament times

Arabic: عَشَّار m (ʕaššār) Aramaic: Classical Syriac: ܡܟܣܐ m Bulgarian: публика́н m (publikán) Catalan: publicà (ca) m Chinese: Cantonese: 稅吏／税吏 (seoi3 lei6) Mandarin: 稅吏／税吏 (zh) (shuìlì) Dutch: publicanus ?, publikaan ?, tollenaar (nl) m (historical) Finnish: publikaani (fi) French: publicain (fr) m Galician: publicano m German: Zöllner (de) m Gothic: 𐌼𐍉𐍄𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 m (mōtareis) Ido: publicano (io) Italian: pubblicano (it) m Latin: publicanus m Lithuanian: publikanai Maltese: pubblikan m Old Church Slavonic: мꙑтарь m (mytarĭ), мꙑтоимьць m (mytoimĭcĭ), мьздоимьць m (mĭzdoimĭcĭ) Polish: publikanin m Portuguese: publicano (pt) m Romanian: publican (ro) m Russian: мы́тарь (ru) m (mýtarʹ) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: публикани ? Roman: publikani ? Slovene: publikan Spanish: publicano (es) m Swedish: publikan (sv) ? Tagalog: publikano Ukrainian: публікани ? (publikany) Welsh: publican m

any person who collects customs duties, taxes, tolls, or other forms of public revenue — see tax collector

one regarded as extorting money from others by charging high prices

Finnish: kiskuri (fi)

person excommunicated from the church — see excommunicant

person who does not follow a Christian religion — see heathen,‎ pagan

Notes

1. The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Luke 19:9–10, column 2: “This day is ſaluation come to this houſe, forſomuch as he alſo is the ſonne of Abraham. For the ſonne of man is come to ſeeke, and to ſaue that which was loſt.”

References

1. “publican, n.¹”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “publican, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
2. “pū̆blicā̆n, n.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Further reading

• pub on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• publican on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• publican (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Galician

Verb

publican

1. third-person plural present indicative of publicar

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin publicanus.

Noun

publican m (plural publicani)

1. tax collector, publican

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	publican	publicanul		publicani	publicanii
genitive-dative	publican	publicanului		publicani	publicanilor
vocative	publicanule			publicanilor

Spanish

Verb

publican

1. third-person plural present indicative of publicar