usury Hear it!

usury definition

usu·ry (yo̵̅o̅z̸hə rē)

noun pl. usuries -·ries

  1. the act or practice of lending money at interest, now specif., at a rate of interest that is excessive or unlawfully high
  2. interest at such a high rate

Etymology: ME usurie < ML usuria < L usura < usus: see use

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.