sumptuary
sump·tu·a·ry/ˈsʌm(p)t͡ʃʊəɹi/adjective
sumptuary is spelled S-U-M-P-T-U-A-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (sump·tu·a·ry). It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sumptuary means “Relating to expenditure or expense, especially on luxury goods” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sumptuary?
| Letters | 9: S-U-M-P-T-U-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: sump·tu·a·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sumptuary?
Sumptuary appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sumptuary?
- UK /ˈsʌm(p)t͡ʃʊəɹi/
- UK /ˈsʌm(p)tjʊəɹi/
- UK /ˈsʌm(p)t͡ʃəɹi/
Sumptuary has 4 syllables, split sump·tu·a·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sumptuary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sumptuary
- more sumptuary comparative
- most sumptuary superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sumptuary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Relating to expenditure or expense, especially on luxury goods.
- 2
Chiefly in sumptuary law: of a law, regulation, etc.: intended to limit or restrain the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc., or to forbid the use of certain articles (especially luxurious ones), to regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labour, or to reinforce morals or social hierarchies.
- 3
Of or relating to sumptuary laws or regulations.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sumptuary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense relating to expenditure or expense:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | somptuaire |
| Portuguese | suntuário |
| Spanish | suntuario |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sumptuary come from?
From Latin sūmptuārius (“of or relating to expenditure, sumptuary; person in charge of household expenses”) + English -ary (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).