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Added 10 October 2026

usury

/ˈjuːʒəɹi/ noun

Latin root: ūsūria Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about usury at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any legal rates or at least immorally.
The practice of lending money at such rates.
The practice of lending money at interest.
In medieval Europe, Jews were often linked to usury and therefore persecuted by authorities.

Origin

From Middle English usurie, from Latin ūsūria, from ūsūra (“lending at interest, usury”) from ūsus (“use”), from stem of ūtī (“to use”). Compare usurp and use.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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