contraband
pronunciation
How to pronounce contraband in British English:
UK 
How to pronounce contraband in American English:
US
Word Origin
- contraband
- contraband: [16] Contraband means literally ‘proclamation against’ – hence ‘prohibition’. It comes via French contrebande from Italian contrabbando, a compound formed from contra ‘against’ (see CONTRARY) and bando ‘proclamation’ (whose source was late Latin bannus, bannum, a relative of English ban). The sense ‘dealing in prohibited goods’ had already developed before English acquired the word, and rapidly developed through ‘smuggling’ to ‘smuggled goods’.=> ban, contrary
- contraband (n.)
- 1520s, "smuggling;" 1590s, "smuggled goods;" from Middle French contrebande "a smuggling," from older Italian contrabando (modern contrabbando) "unlawful dealing," from Latin contra "against" (see contra) + Medieval Latin bannum, from Frankish *ban "a command" or some other Germanic source (see ban (v.)).
Example
- 1. They may also be unable to pick out smaller lumps of contraband .
- 2. Nearly 80 mules carrying the contraband also perished .
- 3. Drift tubes , however , are unwieldy . They may also be unable to pick out smaller lumps of contraband .
- 4. Lockdown is all about the technology inside prisons , from weapons to hacks , contraband to cooking , and everything in between .
- 5. European officials at the south african meeting said they couldn 't fight contraband without at least talking to legal producers .