Meanings
nounusurer (plural usurers)
plural usurers
- A person who loans money to others and charges interest, particularly at an exorbitant, exploitative, or illegal rate.
"You can go to the Carpetbag usurers if you want money."
1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, chapter XLIII, in Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC2 more examples
Vſurers, you are none of theſe cryers vnto God, but thoſe that hourely vnto God are most cryde out againſt. God hath cryde out vnto you by his Preachers, GOD hath cride out vnto you by the poore ; Pryſoners on their death-beds haue cride out of you : and when they haue had but one houre to interceſſionate for their ſoules, and ſue out the pardon of their numberleſſe ſins, the whole of that howre (ſauing one minute, when in two words they cryde for mercy,) haue they ſpent, in crying for vengeance againſt you.
1593, Thomas Nash, Christs Teares Over Iervsalem. Whereunto is annexed a comparatiue admonition to London., London: Thomas Thorp, published 1613, →OCLC, page 105; republished as Christ's Tears Over Jerusalem: Whereunto is Annexed A comparative Admonition to London, 1815, page 97Profitless usurer, why dost thou use So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 4”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLCSynonyms: banker, loan shark
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who loans money to others and charges interest, particularly at an exorbitant, exploitative, or illegal rate.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who lends money at excessive rates of interest
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinūsūra“interest”
- Old Frenchusurier
- Englishusurer
Anglo-Norman, from Old French usurier, Latin ūsūra (“interest”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian лихва́р, лихва́рка
- лихва́р (lihvár)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- лихва́рка (lihvárka)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Chinese Mandarin 高利貸 /高利贷
- 高利貸 /高利贷 (gāolìdài)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Czech lichvář, lichvářka
- lichvářone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- lichvářkaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- úžerníkone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Danish ågerkarl
- ågerkarlone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Dutch woekeraar, woekeraarster
- woekeraarone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- woekeraarsterone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Esperanto uzuranto, viruzuranto
- uzurantoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- viruzurantoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzurantinoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzuristoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- viruzuristoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzuristinoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzuruloone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- viruzuruloone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzurulinoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- procentegistoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- virprocentegistoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- procentegistinoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Finnish koronkiskuri
- koronkiskurione who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
French usurier, usurière
- usurierone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- usurièreone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
German Wucherer, Wucherin
- Wuchererone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- Wucherinone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- Kredithaione who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- Zinswuchererone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Greek τοκογλύφος
- τοκογλύφος (tokoglýfos)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Hungarian uzsorás
- uzsorásone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Indonesian rentenir
- rentenirone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Italian usuraio, usuraia
- usuraioone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- usuraiaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- strozzinoone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- strozzinaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Japanese 高利貸し
- 高利貸し (kōrigashi)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Korean 고리대금업자
- 고리대금업자 (goridaegeumeopja)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Latin toculiō, danista
- toculiōone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- danistaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Malay ceti
- cetione who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Māori kaiwhakatuputupu moni
- kaiwhakatuputupu monione who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Norwegian Bokmål ågerkar, ågerkarl
- ågerkarone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- ågerkarlone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Polish lichwiarz, lichwiarka
- lichwiarzone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- lichwiarkaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Portuguese usurário, usureiro
- usurárioone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- usureiroone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- agiotaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Romanian cămătar, cămătăreasă
- cămătarone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- cămătăreasăone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- uzurarone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Russian ростовщи́к, ростовщи́ца
- ростовщи́к (rostovščík)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- ростовщи́ца (rostovščíca)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- проце́нтщик (procéntščik)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- проце́нтщица (procéntščica)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Slovak úžerník, úžerníčka
- úžerníkone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- úžerníčkaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Spanish usurero, usurera
- usureroone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- usureraone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Swahili mlariba
- mlaribaone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Swedish ockrare
- ockrareone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Tagalog buwayang-lubog, buwaya sa katihan
- buwayang-lubogone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- buwaya sa katihanone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Turkish tefeci, murabahacı
- tefecione who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- murabahacıone who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Ukrainian лихва́р, лихва́рка
- лихва́р (lyxvár)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
- лихва́рка (lyxvárka)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Yiddish פּראָצענטניק
- פּראָצענטניק (protsentnik)one who loans money, particularly at exorbitant interest rates
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
usurer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usurer
MLA
“usurer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usurer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “usurer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usurer.
Source: usurer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.