A.Word.A.Day -- capitation

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capitation

(kap-i-TAY-shuhn)

noun:
1. A counting of heads.
2. A uniform tax assessed by the head; a poll tax.
3. A fee extracted from each student.

[From Late Latin capitation- (poll tax), from caput (head). Ultimately from Indo-European root kaput- (head), also the origin of head, captain, chef, chapter, cadet, cattle, chattel, achieve, biceps, and mischief, (but not of kaput).]

"Later, the Supreme Court appointed a committee under Justice Jahagirdar to ensure that the private medical colleges charge no undue capitation fees."
HC Gives Reprieve to Medical Students; Afternoon Despatch & Courier (Mumbai, India); Mar 7, 2006.

See more usage examples of capitation in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

X-Bonus

There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent its ascendancy. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

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