mont-de-piété

American  

[mawnd^uh-pyey-tey] / mɔ̃də pyeɪˈteɪ /

noun

French.

plural

monts-de-piété

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

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mont-de-piété British  

/ mɔ̃dpjete /

noun

1. (formerly) a public pawnshop

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Etymology

Origin of mont-de-piété

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

Example Sentences

The comrades have shared everything: the loans from the mont-de-piété, the attic, and the dreams.

From A Chair on the Boulevard by Merrick, Leonard

And when evening came and the mont-de-piété closed for the night, he rose and stumbled off, wondering if possibly he had napped a little without his knowledge and so missed her visit.

From The Lone Wolf A Melodrama by Vance, Louis Joseph

Now it is before the mont-de-piété, the pawnbroker's.

From A Chair on the Boulevard by Merrick, Leonard