Meaning & use
usury
Last updated
The practice of lending money at unreasonably high or illegal interest rates.
See it in a sentence
Medieval laws against usury restricted how much interest lenders could charge.
Critics accused the loan company of usury for its exorbitant fees.
A note on using this word
Historically condemned on religious and moral grounds; many modern countries still have 'usury laws' capping the interest rates lenders can legally charge.
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