Excise

n. [Lat. excisum, cut off, from excidere, to cut out or off, from ex, off, and cædere, to cut, or, as the word was formerly written, accise, from Fr. accise, L. Lat. accisia, as if from Lat. accidere, to cut into, p. p. accisus, accisum, but properly transformed from O. Fr. assise, Pr. asiza, It. assisa, L. Lat. assisa, assisia, assize, q. v.] An inland duty or impost operating as an indirect tax on the consumer, laid originally only on certain products of home industry and consumption, but afterward levied on some imported articles, as tobacco, wine, raisins, and loaf sugar, which are now transferred to the customs: it is also levied on licenses to pursue certain trades, and deal in certain commodities. The excise duties are now confined to hops, malt, paper, spirits, and beet-root sugar. Eng. Cyc.