Outlawing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of officially declaring a practice, act, or substance forbidden by law
2. The process through which a government prohibits certain behaviors or items as unlawful
3. The official banning of an activity or thing by legal authority

Etymology: The surprising part is that the verb "outlaw" began as a legal term for a person, not an action. In Old English, "ūtlaga" meant someone placed beyond the protection of the law, a person who could be harmed or killed without legal consequence. The word was borrowed from Old Norse "útlagi", meaning "outlaw" or "fugitive", and was built from "out" and "law", the same basic pieces as the modern word. Only later did "outlaw" become a verb meaning to declare something unlawful. The sense moved from stripping a person of legal protection to stripping a practice or thing of legal standing. "Outlawing" is the present participle and gerund of that verb, so it describes the act of making something illegal, the same idea that began as a sentence passed on a person.

Synonyms: prohibiting, banning, forbidding, criminalizing, interdicting

Antonyms: legalizing, permitting, allowing, sanctioning, authorizing