usury

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Related to usury: Usury laws, Usury Rates

u·su·ry

(yo͞o′zhə-rē)

n. pl. u·su·ries

1. The practice of lending money and charging the borrower interest, especially at an exorbitant or illegally high rate.

2. An excessive or illegally high rate of interest charged on borrowed money.

3. Archaic Interest charged or paid on a loan.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin ūsūria, alteration of Latin ūsūra, from ūsus, use; see usual.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

usury

(ˈjuːʒərɪ)

n, pl -ries

1. (Banking & Finance) the act or practice of loaning money at an exorbitant rate of interest

2. (Banking & Finance) an exorbitant or unlawfully high amount or rate of interest

3. (Banking & Finance) obsolete moneylending

[C14: from Medieval Latin ūsūria, from Latin ūsūra usage, from ūsus use]

usurious adj

uˈsuriously adv

uˈsuriousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

u•su•ry

(ˈyu ʒə ri)

n., pl. -ries.

1. the practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest rate.

2. an exorbitant amount or rate of interest.

3. Obs. interest paid for the use of money.

[1275–1325; Middle English usurie (< Old French) < Medieval Latin ūsūria interest, usury, for Latin ūsūra]

usury

1. the lending of money at excessive interest rates, especially rates above legal limits.
2. the excessive interest rate charged. — usurer, n. — usurious, adj.

usury

[ˈjuːʒʊrɪ] N → usura f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

usury

[ˈjuːʒəri] n → usure f (prêt)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

usury

n → Wucher m; to practise (Brit) or practice (US) usury → Wucher treiben; 32% interest is usury → 32% Zinsen sind or ist Wucher

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

usury

[ˈjuːʒʊrɪ] n (frm) (old) → usura

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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References in classic literature ?

Now money-making, as we say, being twofold, it may be applied to two purposes, the service of the house or retail trade; of which the first is necessary and commendable, the other justly censurable; for it has not its origin in [1258b] nature, but by it men gain from each other; for usury is most reasonably detested, as it is increasing our fortune by money itself, and not employing it for the purpose it was originally intended, namely exchange.

For as offspring resemble their parents, so usury is money bred of money.

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He accused me of usury. I begged him to repeat that word to me behind the boulevards.

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I guess Jim could take care of their silver and old usury notes as well as you could.'

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And having dined, he sat down at his table-desk and completed before midnight an essay which he entitled "The Dignity of Usury." Having typed it out, he flung it under the table, for there had been nothing left from the five dollars with which to buy stamps.

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For every feat of telescoping long days and weeks of life into mad magnificent instants, one must pay with shortened life, and, oft-times, with savage usury added.

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``Ay,'' said the Knight, ``to gnaw the bowels of our nobles with usury, and to gull women and boys with gauds and toys I warrant thee store of shekels in thy Jewish scrap.''

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"You should have left it to me, then, madame, who know what they are; but you wished to be frugal, and consequently to lend at usury."

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This is a kind of usury, banker, that I do not understand."

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This is done, chiefly by suppressing, or at least keeping a strait hand, upon the devouring trades of usury, ingrossing great pasturages, and the like.

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The Earldom of Envy, the Kingdom of Covetousness, the Isle of Usury were granted as marriage gifts to the pair.

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The DPO said the station house officer would ensure a check on private jirgas in their respective jurisdictions, especially on issues of women and children, land dispute, land grab, and usury.

Noun	1.	usury - an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest vigorish interest rate, rate of interest - the percentage of a sum of money charged for its use
	2.	usury - the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest lending, loaning - disposing of money or property with the expectation that the same thing (or an equivalent) will be returned