Wucher

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German

Etymology

From Middle High German wuocher, from Old High German wuohhar, from Proto-Germanic *wōkraz. Compare Dutch woeker, English oker.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvuːxər/, , ,
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

Wucher m (strong, genitive Wuchers, no plural)

  1. usury (loaning at excessive interest rates)
    Nach christlicher Lehre ist nicht das Zinsnehmen als solches verboten, sondern nur der Wucher.
    According to Christian teaching, taking interest as such is not forbidden, but usury only.
    • 1897, Karl Kautsky, quoting Thomas Müntzer, Hochverursachte Schutzrede, 1524, quoted in Der Kommunismus im Mittelalter und im Zeitalter der Reformation; translated as J.L. & E.G. Mulliken, transl., Communism in Central Europe in the Time of the Reformation, 2003:
      Sieh zu, die Grundsuppe des Wuchers, der Dieberei und Räuberei sein unser Herrn und Fürsten, nehmen alle Kreaturen zum Eigentum: die Fisch im Wasser, die Vögel in der Luft, das Gewächs auf Erden muß alles ihr sein (Jes. 5).
      Look ye! Our sovereign and rulers are at the bottom of all usury, thievery, and robbery; they take all created things into possession. The fish in the water, birds in the air, the products of the soil – all must be theirs (Isaiah v.).
  2. (by extension) sale at excessive prices; overpricing, gouging; highway robbery
    Vier Euro für ein kleines Bier, das ist doch Wucher!
    Four euros for a small beer, that's totally overpriced!

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

  • German Low German: Wucher
  • Saterland Frisian: Wucher

Further reading

  • Wucher” in Duden online
  • Wucher” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache