Contraband

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/

Definitions

1. Goods that are illegal to import, export, or possess
2. Items or substances that are prohibited by law from being traded, owned, or transported
3. Any materials that are forbidden by regulations due to their illicit nature or potential danger

Etymology: The word traces back to Italian "contrabbando", formed from "contra" ("against") and "bando", meaning a proclamation or ban. A bando was an official public decree, so contraband literally meant goods sold in defiance of such an announcement. Italian merchants and port officials used the term for trade forbidden by law, and it passed into Spanish as "contrabanda" before reaching English. The English word was reinforced by French "contrebande", which came from the same Italian source, so two routes ran in parallel. The original sense was not about the goods themselves but about the act of breaking an official order, which is why the word attaches to anything whose trade or possession the authorities have prohibited.

Synonyms: smuggled goods, illegal goods, trafficked items

Antonyms: legal goods, permitted items