sanction

sanc·tion  (sngkshn)

n.

1. Authoritative permission or approval that makes a course of action valid. See Synonyms at permission.

2. Support or encouragement, as from public opinion or established custom.

3. A consideration, influence, or principle that dictates an ethical choice.

4.

a. A law or decree.

b. The penalty for noncompliance specified in a law or decree.

5. A penalty, specified or in the form of moral pressure, that acts to ensure compliance or conformity.

6. A coercive measure adopted usually by several nations acting together against a nation violating international law.

tr.v. sanc·tioned, sanc·tion·ing, sanc·tions

1. To give official authorization or approval to: "The president, we are told, has sanctioned greed at the cost of compassion" (David Rankin).

2. To encourage or tolerate by indicating approval. See Synonyms at approve.

3. To penalize, especially for violating a moral principle or international law.

---

[Middle English, enactment of a law, from Old French, ecclesiastical decree, from Latin sncti, snctin-, binding law, penal sanction, from snctus, holy; see sanctify.]

---

sanction·a·ble adj.

Word History: Occasionally, a word can have contradictory meanings. Such a case is represented by sanction, which can mean both "to allow, encourage" and "to punish so as to deter." It is a borrowing from the Latin word sncti, meaning "a law or decree that is sacred or inviolable." In English, the word is first recorded in the mid-1500s in the meaning "law, decree," but not long after, in about 1635, it refers to "the penalty enacted to cause one to obey a law or decree." Thus from the beginning two fundamental notions of law were wrapped up in it: law as something that permits or approves and law that forbids by punishing. From the noun, a verb sanction was created in the 18th century meaning "to allow by law," but it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that it began to mean "to punish (for breaking a law)." English has a few other words that can refer to opposites, such as the verbs dust (meaning both "to remove dust from" and "to put dust on") and trim (meaning both "to cut something away" and "to add something as an ornament").

---

sanction [ˈsæŋkʃən]

n

1. final permission; authorization

2. aid or encouragement

3. something, such as an ethical principle, that imparts binding force to a rule, oath, etc.

4. (Law) the penalty laid down in a law for contravention of its provisions

5. (Law) (often plural) a coercive measure, esp one taken by one or more states against another guilty of violating international law

vb (tr)

1. to give authority to; permit

2. to make authorized; confirm

[from Latin sanctiō the establishment of an inviolable decree, from sancīre to decree]

sanctionable  adj

sanctioner  n

sanctionless  adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	sanction - formal and explicit approval; "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement" imprimatur, countenance, endorsement, indorsement, warrant commendation, approval - a message expressing a favorable opinion; "words of approval seldom passed his lips" O.K., okay, okeh, okey, OK - an endorsement; "they gave us the O.K. to go ahead" visa - an endorsement made in a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country issuing it nihil obstat - the phrase used by the official censor of the Roman Catholic Church to say that a publication has been examined and contains nothing offensive to the church
	2.	sanction - a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action
	3.	sanction - official permission or approval; "authority for the program was renewed several times" authorisation, authorization, authority permission - approval to do something; "he asked permission to leave"
	4.	sanction - the act of final authorization; "it had the sanction of the church" empowerment, authorisation, authorization - the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant benefit of clergy - sanction by a religious rite; "they are living together without benefit of clergy" name - by the sanction or authority of; "halt in the name of the law" nihil obstat - authoritative approval
Verb	1.	sanction - give sanction to; "I approve of his educational policies" approve, O.K., okay authorize, authorise, clear, pass - grant authorization or clearance for; "Clear the manuscript for publication"; "The rock star never authorized this slanderous biography" sanction - give religious sanction to, such as through on oath; "sanctify the marriage" visa - approve officially; "The list of speakers must be visaed" back, endorse, indorse, plump for, plunk for, support - be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960" confirm - support a person for a position; "The Senate confirmed the President's candidate for Secretary of Defense"
	2.	sanction - give authority or permission to authorise, empower, authorize - give or delegate power or authority to; "She authorized her assistant to sign the papers"
	3.	sanction - give religious sanction to, such as through on oath; "sanctify the marriage" approve, O.K., okay, sanction - give sanction to; "I approve of his educational policies"

---

sanction

verb

1. permit, back, support, allow, approve, entitle, endorse, authorize, countenance, vouch for, lend your name to He may seem ready to sanction the use of force.
permit refuse, ban, veto, forbid, reject, boycott, disallow

2. punish, discipline, penalize, chastise, bring to book, slap someone's wrist, throw the book at, rap someone's knuckles failure to sanction countries for butchering whales

noun

1. (often plural) ban, restriction, boycott, embargo, exclusion, penalty, deterrent, prohibition, coercive measures He expressed his opposition to lifting the sanctions.
ban authority, licence, approval, permission, authorization, dispensation, approbation

2. permission, backing, support, authority, approval, allowance, confirmation, endorsement, countenance, ratification, authorization, approbation, O.K. or okay (informal), stamp or seal of approval The king could not enact laws without the sanction of parliament.
permission ban, veto, refusal, embargo, prohibition, disapproval, proscription

Translations

sanction [ˈsæŋkʃən]

A. N

1. (= approval) → permiso m, autorización f

2. (= penalty) → sanción f (esp Pol) sanctions → sanciones fpl
to impose economic sanctions on or against → imponer sanciones económicas a or contra

B. VT

1. (= approve, authorize) → sancionar, autorizar

2. (= penalize) → sancionar

C. CPD sanction busting N → ruptura f de sanciones

---

sanction [ˈsæŋkʃ^ən]

n

(= trade restriction) → sanction f
to impose economic sanctions on a country, to impose economic sanctions against a country → prendre des sanctions économiques contre un pays

(= punishment) → sanction f
a system of rewards and sanctions → un système de récompenses et de sanctions

(= approval) → sanction f
to give sth official sanction → sanctionner qch officiellement

vt

(= approve, allow) [person, government] → sanctionner; [law] → autoriser
He will not sanction the use of force → Il refuse de sanctionner l'usage de la force.
the law which sanctioned the remarriage of widows
BUT la loi qui autorisait les veuves à se remarier.

(= impose sanctions on) → sanctionner
sanctions-busting [ˈsæŋkʃ^ənzbʌstɪŋ] n → violation f de sanctions

---

sanction

n

(= permission, approval) → Zustimmung f; to give one’s sanction to something → etw sanktionieren, seine Zustimmung zu etw geben; rituals which have received the sanction of tradition → Rituale, die durch die Tradition sanktioniert sind

(= enforcing measure) → Sanktion f; to lift the sanctions on a country → die Sanktionen gegen ein Land aufheben

vt

→ sanktionieren

(Pol: = impose sanctions on) → Sanktionen pl → verhängen gegen

---

sanction [ˈsæŋkʃ/ən]

1. n (gen) → sanzione f
to impose economic sanctions on or against → adottare sanzioni economiche contro

2. vt → sancire, sanzionare

---

sanction

n sanction [ˈsӕŋkʃən]

permission or approval The soldier's action did not have the sanction of his commanding officer. goedkeuring, toestemming إقْرار، مُوافَقَه разрешение souhlas godkendelse die Billigung έγκριση, χορήγηση άδειας sanción, autorización, permiso luba, heakskiit اجازه lupa, hyväksyntä approbation אִישוּר मंजूरी sankcija, dozvola szentesítés izin, persetujuan leyfi, heimild approvazione 承認 허가, 인가 sankcija sankcija; atļauja persetujuan goedkeuring tillatelse, godkjenning, sanksjon aprobata, zezwolenie autorização aprobare одобрение, разрешение; санкция súhlas, schválenie odobritev odobrenje bifall, godkännande, tillstånd, sanktion การอนุญาต; การอนุมัติ resmî izin 批准 затвердження; офіційний дозвіл منظوری sự phê chuẩn 批准

v

to permit or agree to We cannot sanction the use of force. goedkeur يَسْمَح، يأذَن بِ разрешавам schválit godkende billigen εγκρίνω, επιτρέπω sancionar, autorizar, aprobar, permitir heaks kiitma اجازه دادن hyväksyä approuver לְאַשֵר दण्डविधान dozvoliti, odobriti szentesít menyetujui leyfa, heimila approvare 承認 허가하다 sankcionuoti sankcionēt; atļaut membenarkan goedkeuren tillate, godkjenne zezwalać na sancionar a aproba санкционировать schváliť odobriti dozvoliti bifalla, godkänna, sanktionera อนุญาตหรือเห็นด้วย izin vermek 批准，認可 санкціонувати; затверджувати; ратифікувати منظوری دینا یا قبول کرنا phê chuẩn 批准，认可