impost

impost — noun

1. an official charge that a government requires people or businesses to pay, often

1.名詞C2
釋義

an official charge that a government requires people or businesses to pay, often on goods coming into or leaving the country.

例句

The new government removed the heavy impost on imported rice.

impost on + imported goods

Farmers protested the impost that the king placed on their grain.

impost placed on + commodity

同義詞
  • tax

    the everyday word; 'impost' is more formal and old-fashioned

  • duty

    specifically a tax on imported or exported goods

  • levy

    an amount of money officially demanded, often for a single purpose

  • tariff

    a tax on goods crossing a border, especially imports

文法句型

impost on + noun

用法筆記

Mainly used in formal, historical, or legal writing about taxes and customs duties. Modern everyday English prefers 'tax', 'duty', or 'levy'.

常見錯誤

❌I paid an impost at the supermarket.
✅I paid sales tax at the supermarket.
💡'impost' sounds wrong for ordinary daily taxes; use it for formal or historical contexts.

2. the flat stone or block at the top of a column or wall on which the curved part

2.名詞C2
釋義

the flat stone or block at the top of a column or wall on which the curved part of an arch rests.

例句

The stonemason carefully shaped the impost before the arch was built.

shape / carve the impost

Each impost in the old church was carved with small flowers.

decorated impost in a building

同義詞
  • springer

    the lowest stone of an arch, sitting directly on the impost

  • capital

    the top part of a column; an impost can sit on a capital

文法句型

impost of + structure

用法筆記

A technical term in architecture and stonework. Most readers will only meet it in books about old buildings, churches, or castles.

常見錯誤

❌The impost is the curved part of the arch.
✅The impost is the flat block under the arch.
💡the impost supports the arch; it is not the arch itself.