PUBLICAN


Meaning of PUBLICAN in English

n. 1 a Brit. the keeper of a public house. b Austral. the keeper of a hotel. 2 Rom.Hist. & Bibl. a tax-collector or tax-farmer.

[ ME f. OF publicain f. L publicanus f. publicum public revenue (as PUBLIC) ]

Concise Oxford English dictionary.      Краткий оксфордский словарь английского языка.