sumptuary

2 definitions found

sumptuary - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sumptuary \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.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Sumptuary laws or Sumptuary 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.
        [1913 Webster]

sumptuary - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  sumptuary
      adj 1: regulating or controlling expenditure or personal
             behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of
             large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding
             gambling"