> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://goodoil.news/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-966/
- Published: 2022-09-21T18:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2022-07-20T18:35:06.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-16 22:48

The word for today is…

sanction (noun, verb):

*noun*  
1 : a formal decree especially : an ecclesiastical decree  
2a *obsolete* : a solemn agreement : oath  
b : something that makes an oath binding  
3 : the detriment, loss of reward, or coercive intervention annexed to a violation of a law as a means of enforcing the law  
4a : a consideration, principle, or influence (as of conscience) that impels to moral action or determines moral judgment  
b : a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society’s standards  
c : explicit or official approval, permission, or ratification : approbation  
5 : an economic or military coercive measure adopted usually by several nations in concert for forcing a nation violating international law to desist or yield to adjudication

*verb*  
1 : to make valid or binding usually by a formal procedure (such as ratification)  
2 : to give effective or authoritative approval or consent to  
3a : to attach a sanction or penalty to the violation of (a right, obligation, or command)  
b : to impose a sanction or penalty upon

Source : [Merriam -Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanction?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : The noun sanction, meaning “authoritative approval” or “a coercive measure,” entered English in the 15th century, and originally referred to a formal decree or law, especially an ecclesiastical decree. (The Latin sancire, meaning “to make holy,” is an ancestor.) The noun’s meaning then extended in different directions. By the end of the 17th century, it could refer to both a means of enforcing a law (a sense that in the 20th century we began using especially for economic penalties against nations violating international law) and the process of formally approving or ratifying a law. When the verb sanction appeared in the 18th century, it had to do with ratifying laws as well, but it soon acquired an additional, looser sense: “to approve.”

***If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.***