public house
Also with hyphen.
1. A building belonging or open to the community at large; one provided for some public use or purpose; a public building. Obs. exc. with allusion to sense 2.
| 1574 Hellowes Gueuara's Fam. Ep. (1577) 21 That he was the firste that inuented in Greece to haue publique or common houses founded at the charges of the common welth..where the sick might be cured, and the poore refreshed. 1617–20 [see public school 2]. c 1618 Moryson Itin. (1903) 319 The publike house of the Citty, where this and all publike feasts are kept. 1708 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. i. ii. (1737) 310 The Town of Glasgow have built a new Port, and named it Port-Glasgow, with a large Publick-House. 1903 Westm. Gaz. 4 Apr. 10/2 Lord Avebury..said there were now public-houses all over the country, not for the sale of beer, but for the use of books. |
2. A house for the entertainment of any member of the community, in consideration of payment. a. An inn or hostelry providing accommodation (food and lodging, or light refreshments) for travellers or members of the general public; usually licensed for the supply of ale, wines, and spirits. Now commonly merged in b.
| 1669 Wood Life 26 June (O.H.S.) II. 163 He was asham'd to go to a publick house [for his meals], because he was a senior master, and because his relations lived in Oxon. 1679 M. Prance Narr. Pop. Plot 12 Not beeing at home, but at a publique House hard by. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 155 ¶2 Mr. Spectator, I Keep a Coffee-house...Good Mr. Spectator,..Say it is possible a Woman may be modest and yet keep a Publick-house. 1715 Royal Proclam. 5 Jan. in Lond. Gaz. No. 5292/2 Taverns, Chocolate Houses, Coffee Houses, or other Publick Houses. 1796 Hist. Ned Evans II. 151 Every night they were entertained by private families, there being no public-houses at so remote a distance. 1849 D. J. Browne Amer. Poultry Yd. (1855) 165 Fattening some of the earliest broods, in order to supply public houses, and such families as require turkeys early in the season. |
b. In current restricted application: A house of which the principal business is the sale of alcoholic liquors to be consumed on the premises; a tavern.
| 1768 Foote Devil on Two Sticks ii. (1778) 33 Step into the first publick-house to refresh you. 1812 Coleridge Lett., to Southey (1895) 598 A large public house frequented about one o'clock by the lower orders. 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. (1863) 4 Lucky would it be for his wife and her eight children if there were no public-house in the land. 1882 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 9) XIV. 688/1 In nearly all countries the nature of the trade carried on in public-houses has subjected them to a much more rigorous police supervision than ordinary trades. |
† 3. A brothel. Cf. F. maison publique, Ger. öffentliches Haus. Obs. rare— 1.
| 1785 J. Trusler Mod. Times I. 87 Who never loses sight of her till she is picked up and taken to a public house. |
4. attrib. and Comb., as public-house club, public house-keeper, public house licence, public house parlour, public house score, public house sign, public house trust, etc.
| 1704 in Trott Laws Brit. Plant. Amer. (1721) 256 No Publick House-keeper within this Province [New Jersey] shall suffer any Person or Persons to tipple and drink in his House on the Lord's Day. 1725 (title) The Publick-House-Keeper's Monitor. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas i. ii. ¶3 The landlord was..overwhelming me with public-house civility. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxvi, They talked about them over their pints of beer at their public-house clubs. 1854 H. Spencer in Brit. Q. Rev. July 143 Much as public-house scores are kept now. 1882 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 9) 690/1 [In Ireland] Public-house licences are generally held by shopkeepers. 1887 Ruskin Præterita II. vi. 192 [He] wanted to promote himself to some honour or other in the public-house line. 1893 J. Ashby-Sterry Naughty Girl v, He would have..painted tea-trays and public-house signs. |