Also 4–7 vsance (6 Sc. vsans), 5–6 vsaunce (5 hew-, 6 ewsaunce). [a. OF. usance (1271 in Godef.), = Pr. uzansa, Sp. and It. usanza, Pg. usança, med.L. ūsancia, -zia, f. ūsant-, ūsans, pres. pple. of ūsāre to use.]
1. Habit, custom, wont; = USAGE sb. 1.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2217. Wat doþ ȝour men of fraunce; Of hure disport & ek hure play, what is ȝour mest vsaunce?
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 586, Cleopatra. For to conqueren regnes and honour Vnto the tovne of Rome, as was vsaunce.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Law Arms (S.T.S.), 159. Efter the custum of the contree, and the usaunce of the weris.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of A., IV. vii. To doo suche a thinge, it is vsaunce of armes.
1513–4. Act 5 Hen. VIII., c. 7. Accordyng to the olde usance and custome.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 134. By means of which Proclamation, nothing was taken … but it were streight payed for…, which vsance continued but a while.
1620. E. Blount, Horæ Subs., 49. That must bee referred to publike vsance, not to Cæsars power.
1656. Earl Monm., trans. Boccalini’s Advts. fr. Parnass., I. lxxii. (1674), 90. Obsolete Proclamations and Edicts, which have lost their validity by contrary usance.
1715. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., I. 224. The same different Martyrologe usance obtain’d here in England.
1825. New Monthly Mag., XIII. 19. Ruffs … were confined by special usance to the fair sex.
a. 1839. Praed, Poems (1864), II. 194. By established usance, Miss Gravity is quite amiss [etc.].
1878. J. J. Aubertin, trans. Camoens’ Lusiad, IX. l. The Nereids’ beauteous choir … grouped together move, In graceful dances, as of usance old.
b. With a, this, or plural.
c. 1475. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 285. In thyse dayes ther is a hewsaunce, That puttyth the pore pepylle to grett hynderaunce.
1583. Stocker, Civ. Warres Lowe C., IV. 40. Laudable and auncient Customes, Usances, and … particuler Rightes.
1606. Daniel, Queen’s Arcadia, 2568. Custome … inchaines our iudgements and discourse Vnto the present vsances.
1658. Osborne, Q. Eliz., Ep. A 3 b. Strangers to the Usances of the Ancients.
1673. Ray, Journ. Low C., Venice, 197. In our time this usance is not observed.
1860. Buckle, in Huth, Life (1880), II. 33. I have in this way heard something of the prospects and usances of teachers.
c. Habit or custom on the part of the individual. Also with a, = USAGE sb. 4 b.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, X. xvii. 440. This is a shameful customme and a vylaynous vsaunce for a Quene to vse.
a. 1568. in Bannatyne MS. (Hunterian Club), 195/42. In yowtheid vse the to temprance, And so begin the with vsance.
1862. Sala, Acc. Addresses, 226. I tried to recollect the things to which we have grown so accustomed…, that usance has begotten familiarity.
2. = USAGE sb. 6. Now arch.
c. 1460. Wisdom, 658, in Macro Plays, 57. Lust ys in so grett vsance. Ibid., 1031. Lo, wakynge ys a holy thynge! Þer yt ys hade with goode vsance, Many gracys of yt doth sprynge.
a. 1470. Harding, Chron., CXII. i. He a nonne had rauyshed to his vsaunce.
c. 1489. Caxton, Blanchardyn, vii. 30. She fell doune dyuerse tymes in a swoune … or euer thusaunce of speche was in her restored.
1502. Ord. Crysten Men, I. iv. (W. de W., 1506), E i. As sone as he cometh to haue dyscrecyon & vsaunce of vnderstandinge.
1591. Spenser, Daphn., 503. Riches, beautie,… nought of them is yours, but th’ onely vsance Of a small time.
1615. T. Adams, Mystical Bedlam, 59. But why doe you call this benefit made of our money, vsurie…? It is but vsance, and husbandring [sic] of our stocke.
1659. Fuller, App. Inj. Innoc., I. 50. What was wanting … hath since sufficiently been supplyed … by usance thereof to Gods Service only.
1869. Ld. Lytton, Poems (1894), 128. Life is good;… so is beauty. Mere stuff Are all these for Love’s usance.
† 3. Enjoyment by use. Obs.–1
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 306/1. Therto ben thre thynges necessarye:… Souerayne loue,… parfyght knowlege,… and perpetuel fruycion or usaunce.
† 4. The practice or fact of lending or borrowing money at interest. Cf. USE sb. 5. Obs. rare.
1570. Foxe, A. & M. (ed. 2), I. 356/1. To borrow vppon vsance, to make the money which was required.
1585. Sidney, Lett. to Walsingham, 1 Dec. I have takne up three hundred powndes of Hans Barnard at usance.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., I. iii. 109. Many a time and oft In the Ryalto you haue rated me About my monies and my vsances.
1611. R. Fenton, Usury, I. ii. 4. They will not call it Vsurie…. But it shall be termed Vse or Vsance in exchange.
b. = INTEREST sb. 10, USE sb. 5 b. Also fig.
The use in the 19th cent. is a literary revival.
1584. Lodge, Alarm agst. Usurers, D ij. My stocke might lye without vsaunce to my vtter vndooing.
1592. G. Harvey, Four Lett., iii. 48. Vse heavenly Eloquence indeede: and employ thy golden talent with amounting vsance indeede.
1595. Shaks., Merch. V., I. iii. 46. He … brings downe The rate of vsance here.
1615. Mellis, Recorde’s Gr. Arts, 211. Sir, this is yet within the compasse of some reasonable vsance.
1823. Byron, Lett. to Kinnaird, 18 Jan. Make an investment of any spare monies as may render some usance to the owner.
1862. T. A. Trollope, Marietta, I. 30. The old Catholic doctrine that no usance whatever could be unsinfully received for the use of money.
1890. Hatton, By Order of Czar, I. iv. He … bad made money by dint of saving his profits and lending them at fair usance.
c. A document acknowledging a loan of money.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr., II. iv. One almost hopes he … had his [sc. a Jew’s] usances and quittances and horseleech papers summarily set fire to!
5. The time or period (varying in respect of different countries) allowed by commercial usage or law for the payment of a bill of exchange, etc., esp. as drawn in a foreign or distant land.
Orig. in the phrase at usance: see below.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 278. Touching the exchange from London to Venice farther distant, by the word vsance three moneths are signified, and by double vsance six moneths.
1651. Marius, Advice Bills of Exchange, 20. You must not count every 30 Days a Usance,… but a moneth by denomination.
1682. Scarlett, Exchanges, 101. Sometimes Usance is taken for some certain time after the date of the Bill, sometimes for some certain time after sight.
1728. Chambers, Cycl. (1738), s.v., At London, usance is a calendar month; and double usance, two months.
1732. De Foe’s Eng. Tradesman (ed. 3), I. 361. Usance from Antwerp or Amsterdam, payable at Venice, is two Months, payable in bank.
1759. Chesterf., Lett., 2 Feb. The Specie, the Banco, Usances, Agio, and a thousand other particulars.
1834. McCulloch, Dict. Commerce (ed. 2), 560. The usance and days of grace for bills drawn upon some of the principal commercial cities.
1875. Jevons, Money, 246. Government bonds … differ … in the fact that they have very long, or even interminable, usance.
b. In the phr. at usance; at … usance(s).
1487. Cely Papers (Camden), 159. I hawe made yow ower be exchaunge … an ciiij11 nobulles ster: payabull at usuance [sic].
1572. T. Wilson, Disc. Usury, 120 b. It shal go at vsance, which is a moneths time, at xxiiii.s. iiii.d. and at double vsance, which is ij. moneths time, at xxiiii.s. viii.d.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 278. Our Merchants write their bils of exchange … to bee paid, at sight, at vsance, at halfe vsance, and at double vsance.
1682. Scarlett, Exchanges, 25. At Usance, Pay this my first Bill of Exchange … to Mr. N. W. or his Order.
1704. Lond. Gaz., No. 4070/8. A Bill of Exchange of 50l. …, drawn at double Usance, on Monsieur Kesterman. Ibid. (1716), No. 5472/4. A First Foreign Bill of Exchange…, payable to Tho. Ellis at two Usance.
1849. Freese, Comm. Class-bk., 73. A bill drawn in London upon Hamburg at usance, signifies ... one month after it is dated; if at two usances, two months after date.
1878. Encycl. Brit., VIII. 795/1. No bills are now drawn in London at usance, and the practice is being gradually dropped in other countries.
