Anatocism

/əˈnætəˌsɪzəm/ noun

The practice of charging compound interest on a loan; interest earned on previously accumulated interest, sometimes considered unethical or excessive.

From Greek ana- 'up' plus tokos 'interest/offspring' plus -ism 'practice/system.' The tokos root literally means 'offspring,' used metaphorically for interest as the 'children' of money.

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