The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Sumptuary \Sump"tu*a*ry\, a. [L. sumptuarius, fr. sumptus
expense, cost, fr. sumere, sumptum, to take, use, spend; sub
under + emere to take, buy: cf. F. somptuaire. See Redeem.]
Relating to expense; regulating expense or expenditure.
--Bacon.
[1913 Webster]
Sumptuary laws or Sumptuary regulations, laws intended to
restrain or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel,
food, furniture, etc.; laws which regulate the prices of
commodities and the wages of labor; laws which forbid or
restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious
apparel.
[1913 Webster]
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):
SUMPTUARY LAWS. Those relating to expenses, and made to restrain excess in
apparel.
2. In the United States the expenses of every man are left to his own
good judgment, and not regulated by Arbitrary laws.