The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Tavern \Tav"ern\, n. [OE. taverne, F. taverne, from L. taberna a
   hut, booth, tavern. Cf. Table, Tabernacle.]
   A public house where travelers and other transient guests are
   accomodated with rooms and meals; an inn; a hotel;
   especially, in modern times, a public house licensed to sell
   liquor in small quantities.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

tavern
    n 1: a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic
         drinks [syn: tavern, tap house]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

111 Moby Thesaurus words for "tavern":
   alehouse, amusement park, automat, ballroom, bar, barrel house,
   barroom, beanery, beer garden, beer parlor, bistro, blind tiger,
   boardinghouse, buffet, buvette, cabaret, cafe, cafe chantant,
   cafe dansant, cafeteria, canteen, cantina, casino, chophouse,
   chuck wagon, cocktail lounge, coffee shop, coffeehouse, coffeeroom,
   cookhouse, cookshack, cookshop, dance floor, dance hall,
   dancing pavilion, diner, dining hall, dining room, dive, dog wagon,
   dorm, dormitory, doss house, dramshop, drinkery, drinking saloon,
   drive-in, drive-in restaurant, eatery, eating house,
   entertainment industry, fast-food chain, fleabag, flophouse,
   fun-fair, gin mill, grill, grillroom, groggery, grogshop,
   guest house, hamburger stand, hash house, hashery, honky-tonk,
   hospice, hostel, hostelry, hot-dog stand, hotel, inn, juke joint,
   kitchen, local, lodge, lodging house, lunch counter, lunch wagon,
   luncheonette, lunchroom, mess hall, night spot, nightclub, nitery,
   ordinary, pension, pizzeria, posada, pothouse, pub, public,
   public house, quick-lunch counter, rathskeller, resort, restaurant,
   roadhouse, rooming house, rumshop, saloon, saloon bar, show biz,
   show business, smorgasbord, snack bar, speakeasy, taproom, tearoom,
   theater, trattoria, wine shop



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

TAVERN. A place of entertainment; a house kept up for the accommodation of
strangers.
     2. These are regulated by various local laws. For the liabilities of
tavern keepers, Vide Story on Bailm. art. 7; 2 Kent, Com. 458; 12 Mod. 487;
Jones' Bailm. 94; 1 Bl. Com. 430; 1 Roll. Ab. 3, F; Bac. Ab. Inn, &c.; 1
Bouv. Inst. 1015, et seq.; and the articles Inn; Innkeeper.