Mount of Piety
/ˌmaʊnt əv ˈpʌɪɪti/noun
In Italy and France: a pawnbroking establishment instituted and run by the state for providing loans to the poor at low interest. Now only with allusion to the Italian or French terms.
Origin
Early 17th century; earliest use found in Fynes Moryson (?1566–1630), traveller and writer. From mount + of + piety, after Italian monte di pietà Monte di Pietà or French mont de piété Mont de Piété.