Definition of "impost" in English

noun

1. (chiefly historical) A tax, tariff or duty that is imposed, especially on merchandise.

   • 1752, David Hume, Political Discourses, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid and A. Donaldson, “Of Taxes,” p. 120, […] a duty upon commodities checks itself; and a prince will soon find, that an encrease of the impost is no encrease of his revenue.

2. (horse racing, slang) The weight that must be carried by a horse in a race; the handicap.

noun

1. (architecture) The top part of a column, pillar, pier, wall, etc. that supports an arch.