Meanings
comparative more sumptuary · superlative most sumptuary
- Relating to expenditure or expense, especially on luxury goods.
Among the trade goods mentioned are not only luxury items but also food produce, which contradicts the idea of exclusively sumptuary trade. Quite possibly these northern lords maintained sporadic trade with Guayaquil in pre-Hispanic times.
1999, María Rostworowski de Diez Canesco, “Economic Models”, in Harry B. Iceland, transl., History of the Inca Realm, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 212 - historicallawChiefly in sumptuary law: of a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles (especially luxurious ones), to regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labour, or to reinforce morals or social hierarchies.
Apparently, Henry VII visited the city [Bristol] in 1487, "taking care to entail a sumptuary fine on the citizens because their wives dressed too gaudily".
2023 January 11, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: castles and cathedrals”, in RAIL, number 974, page 553 more examples
Some vvill vvonder, that Empſon and Dudley (the Royal Promoters then in prime) did not catch him [Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden] by the Collar, or pick an hole in his Govvn, upon the breach of ſome ruſty ſumptuary Statute; the rather, becauſe lately the Earl of Oxford vvas heavily fined for ſupernumerous attendance.
a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Northampton-shire”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662, →OCLC, page 298When Sunday came, it was indeed a day of finery, which all my ſumptuary edicts could not reſtrain. How well ſo ever I fancied my lectures againſt pride had conquered the vanity of my daughters; yet I ſtill found them ſecretly attached to all their former finery: […]
1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], “A Proof that Even the Humblest Fortune may Grant Happiness and Delight, which Depend Not on Circumstance, but Constitution”, in The Vicar of Wakefield: […], volume I, Salisbury, Wiltshire: […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […], →OCLC, page 37Out upon the folly of modern liberty, which has abolished sumptuary laws, and left us to all the horrors of our own inventions! Liberty of conscience is bad enough—the liberty of the press is still worse—but worst of all is liberty of taste in dress to common people.
1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIV, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 123 - broadlyhistoricallawOf or relating to sumptuary laws or regulations.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveregulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-“to distribute; to take”
- Latinsūmptuārius“of or relating to expenditure, sumptuary; person in charge of household expenses”
- Englishsumptuary
From Latin sūmptuārius (“of or relating to expenditure, sumptuary; person in charge of household expenses”) + English -ary (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Sūmptuārius is derived from sūmptus (“charge, cost, expense”) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives); and sūmptus from sūmō (“to catch, seize, take; to acquire, get, obtain; to apply, employ, use; to consume, spend”) (from sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, beneath, under’) + emō (“to acquire, procure; to buy, purchase”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to distribute; to take”))) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Cognates * Middle French sumptuaire (modern French somptuaire) * Italian sontuario * Portuguese suntuário * Spanish suntuario
More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan sumptuari, sumptuari
- sumptuarirelating to expenditure or expense
- sumptuariof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
- sumptuariof or relating to sumptuary laws or regulations
Esperanto priluksa, kontraŭluksa
- priluksarelating to expenditure or expense
- kontraŭluksaof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
- kontraŭluksaof or relating to sumptuary laws or regulations
French somptuaire, somptuaire
- somptuairerelating to expenditure or expense
- somptuaireof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Italian sontuario, suntuario
- sontuariorelating to expenditure or expense
- suntuariorelating to expenditure or expense
- sontuarioof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
- suntuarioof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Latin sūmptuārius, sūmptuārius
- sūmptuāriusrelating to expenditure or expense
- sūmptuāriusof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Portuguese suntuário, suntuário
- suntuáriorelating to expenditure or expense
- suntuárioof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Romanian somptuar, somptuar
- somptuarrelating to expenditure or expense
- somptuarof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Spanish suntuario, suntuario
- suntuariorelating to expenditure or expense
- suntuarioof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Welsh gwrthwariant
- gwrthwariantof a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles
Cite this entry
sumptuary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sumptuary
“sumptuary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sumptuary. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sumptuary,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sumptuary.
Source: sumptuary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.