contraband
noun
Edmund Burke
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Contraband first appeared in English in the early 1500s as a borrowing of Italian contrabbando. This Italian word can be traced to the Medieval Latin word contrabannum, a combination of contra- ("against") and bannum ("decree"). Bannum is Germanic in origin and is related to Old High German bannan ("to command"). Bannan is also related to Middle English bannen ("to summon or to curse"), the source of the English verb ban, which now means "to prohibit" but which once also meant "to curse."
Examples of contraband in a Sentence
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
That hasn’t stopped hundreds of shadowy companies, many based abroad, from effectively hawking contraband.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2024
Since then, federal prosecutors have linked the gang to at least 15 murders, drug dealing, contraband smuggling schemes, arsons, robberies and extortion plots.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
According to an article published by the National Institute of Justice, US prisons continue to face formidable threats from contraband and staff may require new, more sophisticated means of stopping it from reaching the facility’s population.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contraband. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
contraband
noun
from Italian contrabbando "smuggling," from Latin contrabannum, literally, "against the decree or command," from contra "against" and bannum, bannus "decree"; of Germanic origin
Legal Definition
contraband
noun
Italian contrabbando act of smuggling, from contra- against + bando edict, law
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