Usurous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to lending activities that impose outrageously high charges for borrowing money, often deemed exploitative and unethical in nature
2. Describing loan practices that involve demanding disproportionately high interest rates perceived as unfair
3. Characterizing financial transactions where the interest charged is unreasonably large, often condemned for exploitation

Etymology: "Usurous" is simply an alternative spelling of "usurious," and the history of both runs through the older word "usury." That noun traces back to Latin "usura," meaning the use or enjoyment of something, and only later came to mean payment for the use of borrowed money. The adjective was formed in English by adding the suffix "-ous," which came into English through Old French from Latin "-osus," a suffix meaning "full of" or "having the quality of." So a usurious arrangement is one full of usury. The "-ous" ending itself has an unexpectedly long road behind it, reaching back through Old Latin and into the deeper prehistory of Italic languages, but for this word the practical story is short. Once "usury" had settled into English with its meaning of lending at excessive interest, adding "-ous" was a natural, unremarkable step, producing an adjective for loans and lenders whose charges went beyond what was considered fair.

Synonyms: usurious, exorbitant, extortionate

Antonyms: moderate, reasonable