A tax or payment in medieval times based on the number of hearths (fireplaces) in a house; also, smoke or the act of smoking something.
From Old French 'fumage,' derived from Latin 'fumus' (smoke). Originally referred to a tax collected per hearth/fireplace, as smoke was a sign of habitation.
Hearth taxes are a fascinating window into history—governments literally counted fireplaces to tax people, and the smoke coming from chimneys was proof someone lived there and owed money!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.