outlaw

out·law (out

lô

)

a. A fugitive from the law.

b. A habitual criminal.

c. A rebel; a nonconformist: a social outlaw.

2. A person excluded from normal legal protection and rights.

3. A wild or vicious horse or other animal.

tr.v. out·lawed, out·law·ing, out·laws

1. To declare illegal: outlawed the sale of firearms.

2. To place under a ban; prohibit: outlawed smoking in the house.

3. To deprive (one declared to be a criminal fugitive) of the protection of the law.

[Middle English outlaue, from Old English tlaga, from Old Norse tlagi, from tlagr, outlawed, banished : t, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots + lög, law; see legh- in Indo-European roots.]

outlaw adj.

Word History: The word outlaw brings to mind the cattle rustlers and gunslingers of the Wild West, but it comes to us from a much earlier time, when guns were not yet invented but cattle stealing was. Outlaw can be traced back to the Old Norse word tlagr, "outlawed, banished," made up of t, "out," and lög, "law." An tlagi (derived from tlagr) was someone outside the protection of the law. The Scandinavians, who invaded and settled in England during the 8th through the 11th century, gave us the Old English word tlaga, which designated someone who because of criminal acts had to give up his property to the crown and could be killed without recrimination. The legal status of the outlaw became less severe over the course of the Middle Ages. However, the looser use of the word to designate criminals in general, which arose in Middle English, lives on in tales of the Wild West.

outlaw

Noun

History a criminal who has been deprived of legal protection and rights

Verb

1. to make (something) illegal: racial discrimination was formally outlawed

2. History to make (someone) an outlaw

outlawed adj

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	outlaw - someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime criminal, crook, felon, malefactor accessary, accessory - someone who helps another person commit a crime arsonist, firebug, incendiary - a criminal who illegally sets fire to property blackmailer, extortioner, extortionist - a criminal who extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them bootlegger, moonshiner - someone who makes or sells illegal liquor briber, suborner - someone who pays (or otherwise incites) you to commit a wrongful act coconspirator, conspirator, machinator, plotter - a member of a conspiracy desperado, desperate criminal - a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier) fugitive from justice, fugitive - someone who is sought by law officers; someone trying to elude justice gangster, mobster - a criminal who is a member of gang highbinder - a corrupt politician highjacker, hijacker - someone who uses force to take over a vehicle (especially an airplane) in order to reach an alternative destination hood, hoodlum, punk, strong-armer, thug, toughie, goon, tough - an aggressive and violent young criminal gaolbird, jail bird, jailbird - a criminal who has been jailed repeatedly abductor, kidnaper, kidnapper, snatcher - someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom) mafioso - a member of the Mafia crime syndicate in the United States gangster's moll, gun moll, moll - the girlfriend of a gangster liquidator, manslayer, murderer - a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being) principal - (criminal law) any person involved in a criminal offense, regardless of whether the person profits from such involvement parolee, probationer - someone released on probation or on parole drug dealer, drug peddler, drug trafficker, peddler, pusher - an unlicensed dealer in illegal drugs racketeer - someone who commits crimes for profit (especially one who obtains money by fraud or extortion) raper, rapist - someone who forces another to have sexual intercourse habitual criminal, recidivist, repeater - someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior) scofflaw - one who habitually ignores the law and does not answer court summonses contrabandist, moon curser, moon-curser, runner, smuggler - someone who imports or exports without paying duties stealer, thief - a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it traitor, treasonist - someone who betrays his country by committing treason law offender, lawbreaker, violator - someone who violates the law
Verb	1.	outlaw - declare illegal; outlaw; "Marijuana is criminalized in the U.S." criminalise, illegalise, illegalize, criminalize nix, prohibit, proscribe, disallow, forbid, interdict, veto - command against; "I forbid you to call me late at night"; "Mother vetoed the trip to the chocolate store"; "Dad nixed our plans" ban, censor - forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper) decriminalise, decriminalize, legalise, legalize, legitimate, legitimatise, legitimatize, legitimise, legitimize - make legal; "Marijuana should be legalized"
Adj.	1.	outlaw - contrary to or forbidden by law; "an illegitimate seizure of power"; "illicit trade"; "an outlaw strike"; "unlawful measures" illegitimate, outlawed, illicit, unlawful illegal - prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules; "an illegal chess move"
	2.	outlaw - disobedient to or defiant of law; "lawless bands roaming the plains" lawless unlawful - contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law; "unlawful measures"; "unlawful money"; "unlawful hunters"