Usury
WordNet
noun
(1) The act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest
(2) An exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From usuria, from L. usura "lending at interest, usury" from usus 'use', from stem of uti 'to use'
Noun
- An exorbitant rate of interest in excess of any legal rates.
- The practice of lending money at such rates as are not legal or fair.
- The practice of lending money at interest.
Usage notes
4th Century BCE - Aristotle - Politics, Book I, Part X,
- "The most hated sort, and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself, and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest."
Related terms
- usurer
- usuress
- usurial
- usurious, usuriously, usuriousness