| 1. | a law regulating personal habits that offend the moral or religious beliefs of the community. |
| 2. | a law regulating personal expenditures designed to restrain extravagance, esp. in food and dress. |
sumptuary law
any law designed to restrict excessive personal expenditures in the interest of preventing extravagance and luxury. The term denotes regulations restricting extravagance in food, drink, dress, and household equipment, usually on religious or moral grounds. Such laws have proved difficult or impossible to enforce over the long term
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