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Meaning of SUMPTUARY

Pronunciation:  'sumptyûuree

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: [adj]  regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"
 
 Websites: 
 
 Synonyms: restrictive
 

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
\Sump"tu*a*ry\, a. [L. sumptuarius, fr. sumptus
expense, cost, fr. sumere, sumptum, to take, use, spend; sub
under + emere to take, buy: cf. F. somptuaire. See {Redeem}.]
Relating to expense; regulating expense or expenditure.
--Bacon.
{Sumptuary} {laws or regulations}, laws intended to restrain
   or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food,
   furniture, etc.; laws which regulate the prices of
   commodities and the wages of labor; laws which forbid or
   restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious
   apparel.
 

 

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