Shylock [shahy-lok] Examples noun
- a relentless and revengeful moneylender in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
- a hard-hearted moneylender.
verb (used without object)
- (lowercase) to lend money at extortionate rates of interest.
Related formsShy·lock·i·an, adjectiveShy·lock·y, adjective Related Words for shylock banker, bank, swindler, shark, Shylock, backer, pawnbroker, moneylender, pawnshop, usurer, granter, lender, broker Examples from the Web for shylock Historical Examples of shylock
The play went on—Shylock appeared—I forgot every thing but him.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
But he was as unlike to Shylock as it is possible to conceive.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The landlord threw up his arms like Shylock at the loss of his money-bags.
Frederic S. Isham
Besides, there is a dash of Shylock in every Jew that ever breathed.
The Martins Of Cro’ Martin, Vol. II (of II)
Charles James Lever
Then she said to Shylock, “Be merciful: take the money, and bid me tear the bond.”
Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb
British Dictionary definitions for shylock Shylock noun
- a heartless or demanding creditor
Word Origin for Shylock C19: after Shylock, the name of the heartless usurer in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (1596) Word Origin and History for shylock Shylock n.
“usurer, merciless creditor,” 1786, from Jewish money-lender character in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” (c.1596).
shylock in Culture Shylock
The merciless moneylender in The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare. He demands a pound of flesh (see also pound of flesh) from the title character of the play after the merchant defaults on his debt.
Note Shylock is a Jew (see also Jews), and there has long been controversy over whether Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock contributes to prejudice against Jews. Shylock is a cruel miser and eventually is heavily fined and disgraced, but he maintains his dignity. At one point in the play, he makes a famous, eloquent assertion that his desire for revenge is the same desire that a Christian would feel in his place. “I am a Jew,” says Shylock. “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”