Fermiers Generaux
Preserved but no longer current.
Those who in France in the 18th century farmed the state taxes. They guaranteed an agreed sum to the crown and retained any surplus which they could gather for themselves. They grew rich and amongst their activities was the production of a group of extremely rich illustrated books — notably the La Fontaine (1762) and the Boccaccio (1757-61).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Fermiers Generaux” mean?
Those who in France in the 18th century farmed the state taxes. They guaranteed an agreed sum to the crown and retained any surplus which they could gather for themselves. They grew rich and amongst their activities was the production of a group of extremely rich illustrated books — notably the La Fontaine (1762) and the Boccaccio (1757-61).
Is “Fermiers Generaux” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.