usury
[ yoo-zhuh-ree ]
/ ˈyu ʒə ri /
noun, plural u·su·ries.
the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest.
an exorbitant amount or rate of interest, especially in excess of the legal rate.
Obsolete. interest paid for the use of money.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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British Dictionary definitions for usury
usury
/ (ˈjuːʒərɪ) /
noun plural -ries
the act or practice of loaning money at an exorbitant rate of interest
an exorbitant or unlawfully high amount or rate of interest
obsolete moneylending
Derived forms of usury
usurious (juːˈʒʊərɪəs), adjectiveWord Origin for usury
C14: from Medieval Latin ūsūria, from Latin ūsūra usage, from ūsus use
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for usury
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.