Etymologically
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contraband

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/ (UK); /ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbænd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French contrebande,[2][3] from Italian contrabbando (“unlawful dealing”),[4][2][3][5][6] from contra- “against” and bando “proclamation”,[4][2][3] from Medieval Latin bannum (“decree”),[4][3][5][6] which is of Germanic origin.[4][3][5] It is related to ban.[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Smuggling; illegal or prohibited trade (before 1529).[7][2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The word meant “against the proclamation”.[3] The sense of smuggled or prohibited goods appeared in 1599,[2][3][7] and in international law contraband of war is goods that may not be supplied to a belligerent (1753).[7][4] During the American Civil War the word was applied to escaped slaves who reached Union lines,[7][4][5] following a decision of General Butler.[7] The adjective, “prohibited”, dates from 1656.[7][3]

Timeline

  • before 1529 – smuggling.[7][2]
  • 1599 – smuggled goods.[7][2][3]
  • 1656 – adjective, prohibited.[7][3]
  • 1753 – contraband of war.[7]
  • 1862 – an escaped slave, during the American Civil War.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Goods whose import, export or possession is forbidden by law; smuggled goods.
  2. Illegal trade in such goods; smuggling.
  3. Goods that a belligerent may seize if a neutral country ships them to the enemy.
  4. (history) During the American Civil War, an escaped slave who reached Union lines.

Adjective

  1. Forbidden to be imported or exported.

Word family

  • contrabandage
  • contrabandist
  • contraband of war

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press