avania

noun /ˌavəˈniːə/

1. A tax or fee imposed on foreigners under the Ottoman Empire, especially one considered to be irregular or extortionate.

   historical

   The merchants are considered as more immediately under the protection of the Mohassil, and therefore not so subject to the Avanias made by the Bashaw.

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Italian avania, from Byzantine Greek ἀβανία (abanía, cfr. modern Greek αβανιά (avaniá) “defamation, slander”), possibly from Arabic خَوَّان (ḵawwān, “unreliable, treacherous”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry avania (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← auxesisaverruncate →

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