farmer-general
Very LowHistorical / Academic
Definition
Meaning
A historical term for a private individual who held a government contract to collect taxes, especially in pre-revolutionary France.
A tax collector, particularly one who purchased the right to collect certain indirect taxes (like the salt tax) from the state for profit. The role was associated with wealth, exploitation, and systemic corruption, often inspiring public resentment.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Not to be confused with a farmer in agriculture. The term combines 'farmer' in the obsolete sense of 'one who collects revenue from a leased asset' and 'general' implying a broad, non-specific or high-ranking scope of authority. It is a compound noun, historically proper but now archaic.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No contemporary difference; the term is exclusively historical. It might appear more frequently in British historical texts about European history, but the referent is French.
Connotations
Identical: evokes historical financial systems, corruption, and the Ancien Régime.
Frequency
Extremely rare in both dialects, confined to specialised historical discussion.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[The/Adj] farmer-general of [tax/region]to be/become a farmer-generalVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None specific to this term]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used in modern business contexts.
Academic
Used in historical, economic, or French Revolutionary studies to describe a specific fiscal system.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
A technical term within economic history.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- [No standard verbal use]
American English
- [No standard verbal use]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial use]
American English
- [No standard adverbial use]
adjective
British English
- [No standard adjectival use]
American English
- [No standard adjectival use]
Examples
By CEFR Level
- [This word is too advanced for A2.]
- The farmer-general was a very rich man.
- The system of farmers-general was widely hated for its corruption and inefficiency.
- Lavoisier, the renowned chemist, was also a farmer-general, a position that ultimately led to his execution during the Reign of Terror.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A 'farmer' who doesn't harvest crops, but 'harvests' taxes for himself – a 'general' of tax collection.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE STATE IS A FARM (taxes are its produce, leased out for collection).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'фермер-генерал'. This would be misunderstood as a military rank in agriculture. The correct historical translation is 'откупщик' or 'генеральный откупщик'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to refer to a modern farmer. Confusing it with a military rank. Spelling as 'farmer general' without the hyphen, which obscures its specific, historical compound nature.
Practice
Quiz
What was the primary function of a farmer-general?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The word 'farmer' here is used in an archaic sense meaning 'one who leases rights to collect revenue'. It has nothing to do with agriculture.
Primarily in France during the Ancien Régime, up to the French Revolution in 1789. Similar systems existed elsewhere.
They profited personally from tax collection, were seen as corrupt, and were part of an unequal and oppressive fiscal system.
Only in a historical context. You will not encounter a modern 'farmer-general'.