mont-de-piété

[ mawnduh-pyey-tey ]

noun

, French.

, plural monts-de-pié·té [maw, n, d, uh, -pyey-, tey].

1. a public pawnbroking establishment that lends money on reasonable terms, especially to people with low incomes.

mont-de-piété

/ mɔ̃dpjete /

noun

1. (formerly) a public pawnshop

Word History and Origins

Origin of mont-de-piété¹

First recorded in 1840–45; from French: literally “bank of pity,” from Italian monte di pietà

Word History and Origins

Origin of mont-de-piété¹

from Italian monte di pietà bank of pity

Example Sentences

CajaSur sprang from the 1995 merger of a local bank and a pawnshop, or mont-de-piété, which was founded in 1864 by the church to provide low-interest loans to the poor.

From Wall Street Journal

A short time later he’d found a ticket from the shop in Mont-de-Piete in her room which proved that she’d pawned two bracelets.

From Literature

I made up my mind to go to Treviso, fifteen miles distant from Venice, to pawn the ring at the Mont-de-piete, which there lends money upon valuables at the rate of five per cent.

From Project Gutenberg

But, this war, badly extinguished, recommended under Innocent X. the successor of Urban: and, because the duke of Parma could not pay soon enough the enormous interests due to the ‘Mont-de-piete,’ Castro was confiscated, sacked, and razed, by order of the head of the church: on the ruins of this city, a column was raised with tills inscription, “Here Castro was.”

From Project Gutenberg

All articles pledged at the Mont-de-Piété, from February 4th, not exceeding in value ten francs, were ordered to be returned, and the Tuileries was decreed the future asylum of invalid workmen.

From Project Gutenberg