Usury

Usury
Usury U"su*ry, n. [OE. usurie, usure, F. usure, L. usura use, usury, interest, fr. uti, p. p. usus, to use. See {Use}, v. t.] [1913 Webster] 1. A premium or increase paid, or stipulated to be paid, for a loan, as of money; interest. [Obs. or Archaic] [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. --Deut. xxiii. 19. [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. --Matt. xxv. 27. [1913 Webster]

What he borrows from the ancients, he repays with usury of ??is own. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. The practice of taking interest. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

Usury . . . bringeth the treasure of a realm or state into a few ??nds. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

3. (Law) Interest in excess of a legal rate charged to a borrower for the use of money. [1913 Webster]

Note: 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]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Usury — (] In the 13th century Cardinal Hostiensis enumerated thirteen situations in which charging interest was not immoral. [cite journal | last = Roover | first = Raymond | title = The Scholastics, Usury, and Foreign Exchang | journal = Business… …   Wikipedia

  • usury — usu·ry / yü zhə rē/ n [Medieval Latin usuria interest, lending at exorbitant interest, alteration of Latin usura use, interest (i.e., sum paid for use of money), from usus use] 1: the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates; specif: the… …   Law dictionary

  • Usury — • Defines the church s view on money lending Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Usury     Usury     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • usury — u‧su‧ry [ˈjuːʒəri] noun [uncountable] formal FINANCE when someone lends people money and makes them pay an unfairly high rate of interest usurer noun [countable] * * * usury UK US /ˈjuːzjʊri/ US  / ʒɚI/ noun [U] …   Financial and business terms

  • usury — c.1300, from M.L. usuria, from L. usura usury, interest, from usus, from stem of uti (see USE (Cf. use)). Originally the practice of lending money at interest, later, at excessive rates of interest …   Etymology dictionary

  • usury — Excessive or illegal interest rates. (Dictionary of Canadian Bankruptcy Terms) United Glossary of Bankruptcy Terms 2012 …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • usury — ► NOUN ▪ the practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest. ORIGIN Latin usura, from usus a use …   English terms dictionary

  • usury — [yo͞o′zhə rē] n. pl. usuries [ME usurie < ML usuria < L usura < usus: see USE] 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 …   English World dictionary

  • USURY — Biblical Law SOURCES If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor (nosheh), neither shall ye lay upon him interest (Ex. 22:24). And if thy brother be waxen poor and his means fail with …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • usury — An unlawful contract upon the loan of money, to receive the same again with exorbitant increase. Lassman v Jacobson, 125 Minn 218, 146 NW 350. The exaction, or an agreement for the exaction, of a greater sum for the loan, use, or forbearance of… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

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