Small-scale usury or illegal moneylending, especially as practiced by merchants who exploit poor customers; also the profit made from such lending.
From Irish Gaelic gaimbín, derived from Old Irish gaimb (surety/pledge); the term reflects Irish economic hardship during the colonial period when exploitative lending became rampant.
Gombeen captures a specific moment in Irish history—when colonized peasants had no access to legitimate credit and fell prey to loan sharks, creating a economic system of debt bondage that lasted generations.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.