excise
excise Lexical Profile
excise Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To remove a section or passage from a text or piece of music completely.
"The editor asked the author to excise two redundant chapters from the manuscript before publication."
To cut out an organ, tumor, or other tissue surgically from the body.
"The surgeon was able to cleanly excise the benign growth during the outpatient procedure."
To charge an excise tax on goods or commodities.
"Imported luxury spirits were heavily excised at the port of entry."
• noun
A tax levied on certain goods and commodities produced or sold within a country and on licenses granted for certain activities.
"The government raised the excise on tobacco and alcohol to discourage consumption and fund public health programs."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Excise' consists of two distinct homographs with different pronunciations and etymologies: the noun and tax-related verb are usually stressed on the first syllable (EK-size), whereas the verb meaning 'to cut out or remove' is stressed on the second syllable (ik-SIZE).
• Rhymes for excise
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The tax sense derives from Middle Dutch 'excijs', altered from Old French 'acise' (assessment, tax), from Vulgar Latin '*accensare' (to tax). The verb meaning 'to cut out' comes independently from Latin 'excisus', the past participle of 'excidere', combining 'ex-' (out) and 'caedere' (to cut).