Definition: sumptuary
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7
sumptuary
adj : regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior;
"sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large
houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding
gambling"
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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. Sumptuary laws or 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.
