shylock
A loan shark; one who lends at extortionate interest.
Definitions
A shylock is a loan shark, someone who lends money at illegally high interest and uses threats to collect. To 'shylock' is to lend this way.
shylock In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
From Shylock, the moneylender in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice.'
People Also Ask
What does 'shylock' mean?
A shylock is a loan shark, a person who lends money at illegally high interest and uses threats or violence to collect. As a verb, to shylock is to lend money that way.
Where does the word come from?
It comes from Shylock, the moneylender character in Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice.'
How is a shylock different from a bank?
A bank lends legally at regulated interest, while a shylock lends outside the law at extortionate rates and enforces payment through intimidation rather than the courts.
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