sancire
to sanction, to enshrine (in law)
verb san-CHEE-reh Less Common
Origin: Latin sancire, 'to make sacred, to ratify'
Usage Note
Sancire is formal-legal language, used when a law, treaty, or charter officially establishes something; you would not use it in everyday speech. It conjugates like a regular -ire verb but is rare outside written or bureaucratic registers. The past participle sancito ('sanctioned/enshrined') is its most frequent form.
Examples
"La Costituzione sancisce i diritti fondamentali."
Natural Translation
The Constitution enshrines fundamental rights.

Free starter pack
Building your Italian vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic
ItalianNow
5 min read