WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Farm"er
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [Cf. F. fermier.]
Definition : Defn: One who farms; as: (a) One who hires and cultivates a farm; a cultivator of leased ground; a tenant. Smart. (b) One who is devoted to the tillage of the soil; one who cultivates a farm; an agriculturist; a husbandman. (c) One who takes taxes, customs, excise, or other duties, to collect, either paying a fixed annuual rent for the privilege; as, a farmer of the revenues. (d) (Mining) The lord of the field, or one who farms the lot and cope of the crown. Farmer-general Etym: [F. fermier-general], one to whom the right of levying certain taxes, in a particular district, was farmed out, under the former French monarchy, for a given sum paid down. -- Farmers' satin, a light material of cotton and worsted, used for coat linings. McElrath. -- The king's farmer (O. Eng. Law), one to whom the collection of a royal revenue was farmed out. Burrill.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913