Meaning

noun an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest

noun the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest

originFrom Middle English usurie, from Latin ūsūria, from ūsūra (“lending at interest, usury”) from ūsus (“use”), from stem of ūtī (“to use”). Compare usurp and use.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0