Word of the Day

"Contraband"

DEFINITION

noun

EXAMPLES

The border police searched the car for weapons, drugs, and

other contraband.

"The Tucson Sector Border Patrol is determined to prevent

dangerous contraband … from being transported through Arizona.

" — From an article in the Douglas Dispatch (Arizona), July 3, 2013

Inmates' friends and relatives whacked tennis balls containing

drugs and contraband into exercise yards.

Illicit financial flows involve the transfer of money earned

through corruption, bribes, tax evasion, criminal activities and

transactions involving contraband goods.

Cellphones, long considered contraband in schools, would again

be permitted past the door.

The booming Asian economy has driven up prices for contraband ivory,

rhino tusks, baby gorillas, and chimps.

DID YOU KNOW?

"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").