Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

contraband

[kon-truh-band]

Origin

Like "Contraband"? www.facebook.com/MoonriseKingdom See "Moonrise Kingdom". Directed by Wes Anderson in theatres 5/25

Twisted Metal is Back twistedmetal.shootmytruck.com Deeper, Madder & More Destructive Pre-Order & Unlock the Axel Vehicle

Watch Contraband Online www.yidio.com/movie/Contraband Full Length Movie, Gossip & Videos Watch Contraband Instantly.

Ads

noun

anything prohibited by law from being imported or exported.

goods imported or exported illegally.

illegal or prohibited trade; smuggling.

International Law. contraband of war.

(during the American Civil War) a black slave who escaped to or was brought within the Union lines.

Dictionary.com Free Toolbar Dictionary.com Define Contraband Instantly. Faster Page Loads With Fewer Ads.

adjective

prohibited from export or import.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Contraband is an SAT word you need to know.

So is clairvoyance. Does it mean:

supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing

capable of operating on both land and water

LEARN MORE SAT WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1520–30; earlier contrabanda < Spanish < Italian contrabando (now contrabbando), equivalent to contra- contra-¹ + Medieval Latin bandum, variant of bannum ban²

Related forms

non·con·tra·band, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To contraband

Collins

World English Dictionary

contraband (ˈkɒntrəˌbænd)

—n
1.	a. goods that are prohibited by law from being exported or imported
	b. illegally imported or exported goods
2.	illegal traffic in such goods; smuggling
3.	international law Also called: contraband of war goods that a neutral country may not supply to a belligerent
4.	(during the American Civil War) a Black slave captured by the Union forces or one who escaped to the Union lines

—*adj*
5.	of goods
	a. forbidden by law from being imported or exported
	b. illegally imported or exported

[C16: from Spanish contrabanda, from Italian contrabando (modern contrabbando), from Medieval Latin contrabannum, from contra- + bannum ban, of Germanic origin]

'contrabandist

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

contraband

1529, from M.Fr. contrebande "a smuggling," from It. contrabando, from L. contra "against" (see contra) + M.L. bannum, from Frank. *ban "a command" (see ban).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary