Meanings
nounfarmer-general (plural farmers-general)
plural farmers-general
- historicalA member of a privileged association in France, before the French Revolution, who collected duties on behalf of the king, along with bonus fees for themselves.
In the same tone a farmer general in France, who had probably beggared a province, and whose rapacity had hastened the late revolution, exclaimed, "What need of reformation?" To such men I can make no reply […]
1810, George Ensor, On National Government, volume 1, page 2
Origin
- Frenchfermier général
- Englishfarmer-general
Calque of French fermier général
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
farmer-general. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/farmer-general
MLA
“farmer-general.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/farmer-general. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “farmer-general,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/farmer-general.
Source: farmer-general on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.