Usury

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: u=su=ry

CIDE DICTIONARY

Usury, n. [OE. usurie, usure, F. usure, L. usura use, usury, interest, fr. uti, p. p. usus, to use. See Use, v. t.].

•  A premium or increase paid, or stipulated to be paid, for a loan, as of money; interest.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury."  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchanges, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury."  [1913 Webster]

  "What he borrows from the ancients, he repays with usury of "  [1913 Webster]
•  The practice of taking interest.  [1913 Webster]

  "Usury . . . bringeth the treasure of a realm or state into a few "  [1913 Webster]
•  Interest in excess of a legal rate charged to a borrower for the use of money.  [1913 Webster]

  " The practice of requiring in repayment of money lent anything more than the amount lent, was formerly thought to be a great moral wrong, and the greater, the more was taken. Now it is not deemed more wrong to take pay for the use of money than for the use of a house, or a horse, or any other property. But the lingering influence of the former opinion, together with the fact that the nature of money makes it easier for the lender to oppress the borrower, has caused nearly all Christian nations to fix by law the rate of compensation for the use of money. Of late years, however, the opinion that money should be borrowed and repaid, or bought and sold, upon whatever terms the parties should agree to, like any other property, has gained ground everywhere."  Am. Cyc.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Usury, n.
1 the act or practice of lending money at interest, esp. Law at an exorbitant rate.
2 interest at this rate.

Idiom

with usury rhet. or poet. with increased force etc.

Etymology

ME f. med.L usuria f. L usura (as USE)

THESAURUS

Usury

Cosa Nostra, Mafia, advance, advancement, advancing, bank rate, black market, bootlegging, compensatory interest, compound interest, discount rate, exorbitant interest, exploitation, extortion, gambling, gray market, gross interest, highway robbery, holdup, illegal commerce, illegal operations, illegitimate business, illicit business, interest, interest rate, lend-lease, lending, lending at interest, loan-sharking, loaning, lucrative interest, moneylending, moonshining, mortgage points, narcotics traffic, net interest, organized crime, overassessment, overcharge, penal interest, premium, price, price of money, prostitution, protection racket, racket, rate, rate of interest, shady dealings, shylocking, simple interest, surcharge, the rackets, the syndicate, traffic in women, white slavery

ROGET THESAURUS

Usury

Debt

N debt, obligation, liability, indebtment, debit, score, bill, check, account (credit), arrears, deferred payment, deficit, default, insolvency, bad debt, interest, premium, usance, usury, floating debt, floating capital, debtor, debitor, mortgagor, defaulter, borrower, indebted, liable, chargeable, answerable for, in debt, in embarrassed circumstances, in difficulties, incumbered, involved, involved in debt, plunged in debt, deep in debt, over one's head in debt, over head and ears in debt, deeply involved, fast tied up, insolvent, minus, out of pocket, unpaid, unrequited, unrewarded, owing, due, in arrear, outstanding, past due, aes alienum debitorem leve gravius inimicum facit, neither a borrower nor a lender be.