HOW TO PRONOUNCE
usury
/ˈjuʒəɹi/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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YOO-zhuh-ree: the s sounds like zh.
Begin with the y of “yes” leading into oo. The middle consonant is the voiced sound in “vision,” followed by a light vowel and an unstressed ree.
TRY SAYING
“The historian studied debates about usury in medieval towns.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗What does usury mean?
noun
- An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any legal rates or at least immorally.
- The practice of lending money at such rates.
More meanings (2)
noun
- (archaic, historical) The practice of lending money at interest.
- (obsolete) Profit.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈjuʒəɹi/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
I guess Jim could take care of their silver and old usury notes as well as you could.’
“By no means,” replied Friar Tuck, “I had mine own returned, and with usury—may your Majesty ever pay your debts as fully!”
More book examples (3)
The results among them, even, are long hours of toil, low wages, child labor, and lack of protection against usury and cheating.
Again Liguori tells us, "It is not usury to exact something in return for the danger and expense of regaining the principal."
The encroachment of large proprietors upon small proprietors, by the aid of usury, farm-rent, and profits of all sorts, was common throughout the empire.