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shylock

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shylock¹

  • /ˈʃaɪlɑk/ US
  • /ˈʃaɪlɒk/ UK

Where it comes from

From the character Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (1600).

noun shylocks · Shylock

  1. US, figuratively, offensive A loan shark; a usurer. 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.
  2. ethnic, offensive, slur A person of Jewish descent.

    Similar: heeb, Hymie, kike, sheeny

verb shylocks · shylocking · shylocked · Shylock

  1. US, intransitive, offensive To lend money at exorbitant rates of interest. I wanted to know whether shylocking is a legal business or not, and if it is legal, under which Act does it operate?

Shylock²

  • /ˈʃaɪlɑk/ US
  • /ˈʃaɪlɒk/ UK

Where it comes from

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”).

proper noun

  1. A moneylender (Jewish stereotype) in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

noun Shylocks

  1. Alternative letter-case form of shylock

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Cite this
MLA

"shylock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shylock. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

shylock. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shylock

Chicago

"shylock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shylock.

BibTeX
@misc{shylock_2026,
  title = {shylock},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shylock},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}