sanzione

sanction

noun sahn-TSYOH-neh Less Common

Origin: From Latin sanctio, from sancire (to make sacred, to ratify).

Also means

penalty

Usage Note

Sanzione is a feminine noun (la sanzione, plural le sanzioni) with two opposing senses: an official approval/ratification (formal legal use) and a punitive penalty. In modern Italian the punitive sense dominates: sanzioni economiche (economic sanctions), sanzione amministrativa (administrative fine). The two senses are a classic semantic paradox — the same word means both to authorise and to punish.

Examples

"Le sanzioni economiche colpiscono il paese."

Natural Translation

The economic sanctions are hitting the country.

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