Question

sanction 【sanction】adj.批准；认可We have the sanction of the recreation department to play ball in this park.康乐部门允许我们在这公园里玩球。

Accepted Answer

['sæŋkʃn] 
sanctionofficial permission or approval
Sanction has two nearly opposite meanings: to sanction can be to approve of something, but it can also mean to punish, or speak harshly to. Likewise, a sanction can be a punishment or approval. Very confusing––the person who invented this word should be publicly sanctioned!
See if you can guess the meaning of sanction in the following contexts. Before invading Iraq, the US and its allies first imposed sanctions on the country, refusing to supply the country with much-needed trade items. Did you guess sanction=punishment? You were right! But by trading with China at the same time, the US quietly sanctioned that nation's known instances of human rights abuses. Did you guess sanction=approval? You're right again!
All forms of 'sanction' will appear on average once every 301 pages.sanctionsanctionedsanctioningunsanctioned

Front	sanction
Pron	['sæŋkʃn]
Back	【sanction】 adj.批准；认可 We have the sanction of the recreation department to play ball in this park. 康乐部门允许我们在这公园里玩球。
Vocab	sanctionofficial permission or approval Sanction has two nearly opposite meanings: to sanction can be to approve of something, but it can also mean to punish, or speak harshly to. Likewise, a sanction can be a punishment or approval. Very confusing––the person who invented this word should be publicly sanctioned! See if you can guess the meaning of sanction in the following contexts. Before invading Iraq, the US and its allies first imposed sanctions on the country, refusing to supply the country with much-needed trade items. Did you guess sanction=punishment? You were right! But by trading with China at the same time, the US quietly sanctioned that nation's known instances of human rights abuses. Did you guess sanction=approval? You're right again! All forms of 'sanction' will appear on average once every 301 pages. sanction sanctioned sanctioning unsanctioned

Sanction Guess Sæŋkʃn Adj.批准；认可 Recreation Department Play Ball