tax collector
/ˈtæks kəˌlɛktər/
noun
Origin
Latin
taxare — to estimate, to value, to assess
Overview
Meaning Now
- A person authorized to collect taxes from individuals or businesses on behalf of a government or authority.
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
taxe
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
Historically, the profession of tax collector was often outsourced by ancient states (such as the Roman Republic) to private individuals known as publicani, who were granted the right to collect taxes and often retained the surplus for personal profit, leading to frequent corruption.
Evolution
- Latin
taxare
“to evaluate or estimate”
- Old French
taxer
“to tax, to assess”
- Middle English
taxe
“a compulsory contribution”
- Modern English
tax collector
“an official collector of levies”
Connections
Word parts
tax
root
compulsory financial contribution
collect
root
to gather together
or
suffix
agentive marker indicating a person who does an action
Related across languages
French
taxer
to tax
Italian
tassare
to tax
Explore next
Related to tax collector
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.