usury, noun, the lending of money with an interest charge for its use; especially :the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates.

“the Sumerian ruler Uruinimgina wrote these words as he took power in a Mesopotamian city. He claimed that his reforms freed citizens from usury, burdensome controls, hunger, theft, and murder..” (The West In The World, Pg 3)

I found the word while reading in my western civilizations textbook. I was confused by the meaning because I’ve never heard of the word. I saw that in the context of the book it must have been some criminal act, since it was surrounded by similarly criminal acts. But now I know that the word means to lend money with high interest rates. And that the original rulers of western civilizations helped to manage interest rates.