shylock means A moneylender (Jewish stereotype) in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
shylock is pronounced /ˈʃaɪlɑk/.
Why “shylock” is a great word
A ruthless and unscrupulous moneylender, particularly one who heartlessly exploits debtors, derived from the name Shylock, the Jewish moneylender character in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596). The name's origin is uncertain but is often speculatively linked to the Hebrew name Shelah (שלח). Unlike a 'usurer,' a neutral or historical term for one lending at high interest, or a 'banker,' which connotes institutional legitimacy, a shylock is an individual defined by a venomous personal vendetta and a chilling literalism. He is the cold breath in the counting-house, the unblinking demand for his pound of flesh, the relentless figure whose grievance has hardened into a profession—a testament to how a name can crystallize a stereotype into a curse.
Etymology
Possibly derived from Hebrew שלח (Šélaḥ, the grandson of Shem), or Old Saxon skīr-lokk (“white-haired”), referring to goldsmiths and scriveners. It may also be derived from Michael Lok and an archaic meaning of shy (“untrustworthy”).
name
- A moneylender (Jewish stereotype) in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
noun
- A loan shark; a usurer.e.g.“Eventually, their gambling debts grow so big that they are cut off from making any more bets, eliminating the chance that they can make enough money to satisfy their shylocks.” — 2005, Joe Pistone, The Way of the Wiseguy, page 45:
- A person of Jewish descent.
verb
- To lend money at exorbitant rates of interest.e.g.“I wanted to know whether shylocking is a legal business or not, and if it is legal, under which Act does it operate?” — 2004 December 8, Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard), page 4928:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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