Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “publican” come from?

Publican comes from Middle English publican, from Old French publican, from Latin publicānus, originally meaning a tax collector or farmer of public revenues.

publican (English): The landlord of a public house; A tax collector...

Definitions

  1. The landlord of a public house; A tax collector...

Ancestry of “publican”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpublican—
Every word from Middle English publican →