Receveur

Receveur is a French noun denoting a person who receives money on behalf of an organization or who collects revenue. In contemporary usage, it can mean a treasurer, cashier, or collector responsible for receiving payments and safeguarding funds. The feminine form is receveuse.

Etymology and forms: The word derives from Old French receveor, from the verb recevoir, meaning to receive. It is used as an occupational title in varied contexts, and it may appear in historical documents with regional or institutional qualifiers (for example, receveur des finances, receveur municipal).

Historical usage: In the Ancien Régime and early modern administration, a receveur was a fiscal official in charge of collecting taxes, rents, or duties for a king, a municipality, or another authority. They kept ledgers, issued receipts, and reported to higher offices such as intendants, trésoriers, or equivalent fiscal authorities. The title appeared across domains including taxation, local administration, and public finance, and it could also be used as a surname.

Modern usage: The role of a public-transport “receveur,” historically a fare collector on buses or trams, is largely obsolete in many regions, having been replaced by automated systems and other personnel such as contrôleurs or conductors. In current administrative language, more common terms for related functions include trésorier, caissier, or agent de recettes, depending on the institution and country.

See also: Receveur municipal, trésorier, caissier, contrôleur.