Where does “usurious” come from?
Usurious comes from Middle English usury combined with the Latin suffix -osus, derived from Latin usuria meaning the practice of lending money at interest, ultimately from Latin usus meaning use or enjoyment.
usurious (English): Of or pertaining to usury; Exorbitant
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to usury; Exorbitant
Ancestry of “usurious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | usury | An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any... |
| 2 | Middle English | usurie | To lend money in order to make interest; usury |
| 3 | Old French | usurie | — |
| 4 | Latin | ūsūria | — |
| 5 | Latin | ūsūra | use, enjoyment |
| 6 | Latin | ūsus | use, employment, exercise, advantage |
| 7 | Latin | ūtor | to use, make use of, employ |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | *ǫtorъ | croze |
| 9 | Proto-Slavic | torъ | paddock, pen |
| 10 | Proto-Slavic | terti | to rub, to scrape; to polish |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |