Adjacent Words

Imposition definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IMPOSI'TION, n. s as z. [L. impositio. See Impose.]
1. In a general sense, the act of laying on.
2. The act of laying on hands in the ceremony of ordination, when the bishop in the episcopal church, and the ministers in congregational churches, place their hands on the head of the person whom they are ordaining, while one prays for a blessing on his labors. The same ceremony is used in other cases.
3. The act of setting on or affixing to; as the imposition of names.
4. That which is imposed; a tax, toll, duty or excise laid by authority. Tyrants oppress their subjects with grievous impositions.
5. Injunction, as of a law or duty.
6. Constraint; oppression; burden.
Let it not be made, contrary to its own nature, the occasion of strife, a narrow spirit, and unreasonable impositions on the mind and practice.
7. Deception; imposture.
Being acquainted with his hand, I had no reason to suspect an imposition.
8. A supernumerary exercise enjoined on students as a punishment.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of imposing something (as a tax or an embargo) [syn: imposition, infliction]
2: an uncalled-for burden; "he listened but resented the imposition"

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century 1. something imposed: as a. levy, tax b. an excessive or uncalled-for requirement or burden 2. the act of imposing 3. deception 4. the order of arrangement of imposed pages

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act or an instance of imposing; the process of being imposed. 2 an unfair or resented demand or burden. 3 a tax or duty. 4 Brit. work set as a punishment at school. Etymology: ME f. OF imposition or L impositio f. imponere: see IMPOSE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Imposition Im`po*si"tion, n. [F., fr. L. impositio the application of a name to a thing. See Impone.] 1. The act of imposing, laying on, affixing, enjoining, inflicting, obtruding, and the like. ``From imposition of strict laws.'' --Milton. Made more solemn by the imposition of hands. --Hammond. 2. That which is imposed, levied, or enjoined; charge; burden; injunction; tax. 3. (Eng. Univ.) An extra exercise enjoined on students as a punishment. --T. Warton. 4. An excessive, arbitrary, or unlawful exaction; hence, a trick or deception put on laid on others; cheating; fraud; delusion; imposture. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition. --Shak. 5. (Eccl.) The act of laying on the hands as a religious ceremoy, in ordination, confirmation, etc. 6. (Print.) The act or process of imosing pages or columns of type. See Impose, v. t., 4. Syn: Deceit; fraud; imposture. See Deception.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

see impose

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Imposing, putting, placing, laying. 2. Constraint, oppression, burden, charge, injunction, levy, tax. 3. Deception, fraud, trickery, artifice, cheating. See imposture.

Moby Thesaurus

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