'Sumptuary' definitions:

Definition of 'sumptuary'

(from WordNet)
adjective
Regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"

Definition of 'Sumptuary'

From: GCIDE
  • 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]

Words containing 'Sumptuary'