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sanction
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Etymology
From Middle French sanction, from Latin sānctiō.
Pronunciation
Noun
sanction (countable and uncountable, plural sanctions)
- An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid.
- The whalers had been operating in the contested waters off the island with sanction from the Japanese government.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Truth of Presentiments”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 306:
- The idea that it was more comfortable in the house than out of it, did much towards reconciling his lordship. He felt positively glad that, as his wife had acted without his sanction, she should be subject to all possible inconvenience, as if such could be felt in Henrietta's state of mind.
- (chiefly in the plural) A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.
- The United States enacted a new round of sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa.
- A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.
Derived terms
Translations
approval, by an authority, that makes something valid
|
penalty or coercive measure
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stipulation specifying the above
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb
sanction (third-person singular simple present sanctions, present participle sanctioning, simple past and past participle sanctioned)
- (transitive) To ratify; to make valid.
- (transitive) To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance.
- The school's inaction further sanctions this misbehavior.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.21:
- Many of the most earnest Protestants were business men, to whom lending money at interest was essential. Consequently first Calvin, and then other Protestant divines, sanctioned interest.
- (transitive) To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions.
- 2024 October 23, Tricia Escobedo, “AI-generated crimes, a treasure mystery, quick thinking by bus passengers: Catch up on the day’s stories”, in CNN:
- The generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, can be duped into providing detailed advice on how to commit crimes — ranging from money laundering to the export of weapons to sanctioned countries — a tech startup found.
Translations
to give authorization or approval to
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to penalize a state, especially for violating international law
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
- James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Sanction”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume VIII, Part 2 (S–Sh), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 82, column 1.
Anagrams
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French
Etymology
From Latin sanctiōnem.
Pronunciation
Noun
sanction f (plural sanctions)
Further reading
- “sanction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
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