sumptuary
UK /ˈsʌm(p)t͡ʃʊəɹi/ · US /ˈsʌm(p)t͡ʃuˌɛɹi/ adjective
- adjective Relating to expenditure or expense, especially on luxury goods.
- adjective Chiefly in sumptuary law: of a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles (especially luxurious ones), to regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labour, or to reinforce morals or social hierarchies.
- adjective (by extension) Of or relating to sumptuary laws or regulations.
Etymology
From Latin sūmptuārius (“of or relating to expenditure, sumptuary; person in charge of household expenses”) + English -ary (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Sūmptuārius is derived from sūmptus (“charge, cost, expense”) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives); and sūmptus from sūmō (“to catch, seize, take; to acquire, get, obtain; to apply, employ, use; to consume, spend”) (from sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, beneath, under’) + emō (“to acquire, procure; to buy, purchase”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to distribute; to take”))) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs).
* Middle French sumptuaire (modern French somptuaire)
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Relating to expense; regulating expense or expenditure. Bacon.
Etymology [L. sumptuarius, fr. sumptus expense, cost, fr. sumere, sumptum, to take, use, spend; sub under + emere to take, buy: cf. F. somptuaire. See Redeem.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sumptuary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details