an excise imposed on a number of goods
Excise takes part of its meaning from the prefix ex-, "out". A writer may excise long passages of a novel to reduce it to a reasonable length, or a film director may excise a scene that might give offense. A surgeon may excise a large cancerous tumor, or make a tiny excision to examine an organ's tissue. Excise is also a noun, meaning a tax paid on something manufactured and sold in the U.S. Much of what consumers pay for tobacco or alcohol products go to cover the excise taxes that the state and federal government charge the manufacturers. But it's only accidental that this noun is spelled like the verb, since it comes from a completely different source.
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same year1652
: a tax on certain things that are made, sold, or used within a country
See words that rhyme with excise Spanish Central: Translation of excise Nglish: Translation of excise for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of excise for Arabic speakers
What made you want to look up excise? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Obscure Shapes
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Surprisingly specific words for shapes.
Take the quiz
Take this quiz and discover 12 words for things you didn't know had words.
Take the quiz
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz
Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.
Play the game
