porteur de contraintes

French

Etymology

Originally shortening of full legal title "huissier porteur de contrainte des gabelles", with "contrainte des gabelles" referring to the notice of execution issued against a taxpayer.[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /pɔʁ.tœʁ də kɔ̃.tʁɛ̃t/

Noun

porteur de contraintes m (plural porteurs de contraintes)

  1. (historical, France) An individual responsible for delivering a prosecution notice against a negligent taxpayer prescribing an immediate execution.
    • 1901, Adolphe Orain, Contes de l’Ille-et-Vilaine, page 207:
      C’était un bien drôle de petit homme que le père Langevin, tailleur et porteur de contraintes au Grand-Fougeray.
      He was quite an odd little man, that Father Langevin, mason and "porteur de contraintes" in Grand-Fougeray

See also

References
  1. Lenglet, Dominique (July 2021), “Porteur de contraintes”, in A la recherche du temps perdu....‎: “Créé sous Louis XIV au départ l'appellation exacte est "huissier porteur de contrainte des gabelles" [Created by Louis XIV, initially the exact title was "huissier porteur de contrainte des gabelles"]”

Further reading
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