noun
usurer
YOO-zhur-er/ˈjuːʒərər/
A lender who charges illegally or excessively high interest.
The usurer lends a small sum, then demands several times as much.
Etymology
The base meant payment for the use of money. A usurer originally lent money at any interest; the word later narrowed to someone charging exorbitant interest.
In context
so to begin a story there was a guy who was a usurer
More examples
- Desperate borrowers turn to usurers when banks refuse them loans.
- The usurer charges interest far above the legal limit.
- She calls him a usurer because his outrageous rates keep families in debt.
Forms
usurer · usurers
usury noun — Lending money at illegally or excessively high interest.
usurious adjective — Involving illegally or excessively high interest.
Similar words
- moneylender
- May charge ordinary interest rather than excessive or illegal rates.
- loan shark
- Usually suggests illegal lending backed by threats or intimidation.