Question

contraband noun 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." 1 : illegal or prohibited traffic in goods : smuggling2 : goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden; also : smuggled goods3 : a slave who during the American Civil War escaped to or was brought within the Union lines

Accepted Answer

December 11, 2020 KAHN-truh-band The officers searched the car for weapons, drugs, and other contraband."Silk Road served as an online marketplace for drugs and other contraband, and the Justice Department has determined it generated more than $9.5 million in sales revenue before it was shut down in 2013." — Andrew Blake, The Washington Times, 5 Nov. 2020

Word	contraband
Date	December 11, 2020
Type	noun
Syllables	KAHN-truh-band
Etymology	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	The officers searched the car for weapons, drugs, and other contraband. "Silk Road served as an online marketplace for drugs and other contraband, and the Justice Department has determined it generated more than $9.5 million in sales revenue before it was shut down in 2013." — Andrew Blake, The Washington Times, 5 Nov. 2020
Definition	1 : illegal or prohibited traffic in goods : smuggling 2 : goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden; also : smuggled goods 3 : a slave who during the American Civil War escaped to or was brought within the Union lines

English Goods Contraband Italian Word Bannum Related Bannan