publican
publican Lexical Profile
publican Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A person who owns or manages a pub (public house).
"The local publican greeted regulars warmly as they stepped in from the rain."
In ancient Rome and the New Testament, a tax collector or contractor who farmed public revenues for the state.
"In the Gospels, Matthew was a publican before becoming one of the twelve apostles."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern British, Irish, and Australian English, a 'publican' is the owner or manager of a pub (public house), whereas in biblical and ancient Roman contexts, the word refers to a tax collector.
• Rhymes for publican
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French publicain, from Latin publicanus ('tax farmer' or 'contractor for public revenue'), derived from publicum ('public revenue'). The modern British sense of a pub keeper emerged in the early 18th century as an extension of 'public house'.