Sanction

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsæŋkʃən/

Definitions

1. Official permission or approval for an action, or alternatively, a penalty imposed to enforce compliance with a law or rule
2. Authorization granted for an act or decision, a punitive consequence for violating regulations, or an endorsement that can lead to compliance with expected norms
3. A formal grant of approval to carry out an action ; a penalty imposed to ensure adherence to laws or rules ; the act of giving support or confirmation to an idea or plan

Etymology: The English noun "sanction" comes from Middle French "sanction," which took it from the Latin "sānctiō," and the Latin word had a surprising double life. In Roman usage, "sānctiō" referred to a formal decree or enactment, and it is tied to "sanctus," meaning sacred or holy, so an act that was ratified carried the weight of something set apart and protected. That is why the word's core idea is less about permission in the abstract and more about authority that makes something binding. Over time the sense split in two directions that now seem opposite. "Sanction" came to mean official approval or ratification, the stamp that allows something to proceed, as in a government sanctioning a treaty. The same word also took on the meaning of a penalty imposed to enforce a law, the punitive measure a body applies to a state or person that defies it. Both senses trace back to the same idea of formal authority, one granting permission and the other enforcing compliance.

Synonyms: approval, authorization, endorsement

Antonyms: prohibition, forbidding