Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who lends money at interest, especially at an exorbitant or unlawfully high rate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who lent money and took interest for it.
  • noun One who lends money at an exorbitant rate of interest; a money-lender who exacts excessive or inordinate interest. See usury.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete One who lends money and takes interest for it; a money lender.
  • noun One who lends money at a rate of interest beyond that established by law; one who exacts an exorbitant rate of interest for the use of money.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person who loans money to others and charges interest, particularly at an illegal, exorbitant, or unfair rate.
  • noun rare Specifically, a male usurer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin ūsūrārius, moneylender, from Latin, interest-bearing, from ūsūra, usury; see usury.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

from Old French usurier, Latin usura "interest".

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Examples

  • A man may be a first-rate soldier, doctor, banker -- as we call the usurer now-a-days -- or brewer, orator, anything that leads up to a figure-head, and prove a foolish fellow if you sound him.

    Complete Project Gutenberg Works of George Meredith George Meredith 1868

  • A man may be a first-rate soldier, doctor, banker -- as we call the usurer now-a-days -- or brewer, orator, anything that leads up to a figure-head, and prove a foolish fellow if you sound him.

    Lord Ormont and His Aminta — Complete George Meredith 1868

  • A man may be a first-rate soldier, doctor, banker -- as we call the usurer now-a

    Lord Ormont and His Aminta — Volume 4 George Meredith 1868

  • That the usurer is the greatest Sabbath – breaker, because his plough goeth every Sunday.

    The Essays 2007

  • That the usurer is the drone, that Virgil speaketh of;

    The Essays 2007

  • That the usurer is the drone that Virgil speaketh of:

    Usury A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View Calvin Elliott

  • That the usurer is the greatest Sabbath breaker, because his plough goeth every

    Usury A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View Calvin Elliott

  • Usually, the usurer is a fourth party that stands yet behind the third party, taking no risks, demanding complete security for his loan and also an increase out of the products of the operators.

    Usury A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View Calvin Elliott

  • That the usurer is the drone that Virgil speaketh of; Ignavum fucos pecus a præsepibus arcent.

    XLI. Of Usury 1909

  • That the usurer is the greatest Sabbath-breaker, because his plough goeth every Sunday.

    XLI. Of Usury 1909

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