Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Impost"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Impost \Im"post\, n. [OF. impost, F. impot, LL. impostus, fr. L.
impostus, p. p. of imponere to impose. See {Impone}.]
1. That which is imposed or levied; a tax, tribute, or duty;
especially, a duty or tax laid by goverment on goods
imported into a country.
Even the ship money . . . Johnson could not
pronounce to have been an unconstitutional impost.
--Macaulay.
2. (Arch.) The top member of a pillar, pier, wall, etc., upon
which the weight of an arch rests.
Note: The impost is called continuous, if the moldings of the
arch or architrave run down the jamb or pier without a
break.
Syn: Tribute; excise; custom; duty; tax.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
impost
n 1: money collected under a tariff [syn: {customs}, {customs
duty}, {custom}]
2: the lowest stone in an arch -- from which it springs [syn: {springer}]
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