sanctionner

to sanction, penalise

verb sank-syo-NAY Rare

Origin: Latin sanctionare, from sanctio 'decree'

Also means

to ratify, approve

Usage Note

Sanctionner is a 'false friend' trap: it means both 'to punish' and 'to officially approve or ratify' — context determines which. Sanctionner un traité means to ratify a treaty, while sanctionner un élève means to discipline a student.

Examples

"Le règlement sanctionne ce comportement."

Natural Translation

The rules penalise this behaviour.

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