tonlieu

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French tonliu, tolniu, from Vulgar Latin *tolōnēum, variant of Latin telōnēum (“tollbooth, custom house”), from Ancient Greek τελωνεῖον (telōneîon, “custom house”). Influenced by lieu due to folk etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔ̃.ljø/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

tonlieu m (plural tonlieux)

1. a feudal tax paid by stallholders at a fair or market

Further reading

• “tonlieu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.