impost

In a fiscal context, this term is highly formal and somewhat archaic, often replaced in modern usage by "tax," "duty," or "levy." It carries a connotation of an official, often compulsory, financial burden imposed by a sovereign or governing body.

In architectural terminology, the word refers to a specific structural element. It is a technical term used primarily by architects and historians to describe the transition point between a vertical support and a curving arch.