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contrebandier

smuggler

noun kon-truh-bahn-DYEH Rare

Usage Note

contrebandier is the masculine form; the feminine is contrebandière. It derives from contrebande (contraband/smuggling), itself from Italian contrabbando. A person caught doing contrebande faces customs penalties; the word appears frequently in historical novels about alcohol or tobacco smuggling.

Examples

"Le contrebandier traversait la frontière la nuit."

Natural Translation

The smuggler crossed the border at night.

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