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contrabbando

smuggling, contraband

noun kon-trahb-BAHN-doh Rare

Origin: Medieval Latin contra bannum (against the ban/decree)

Usage Note

Contrabbando refers to both the activity of smuggling and the smuggled goods themselves. The agent noun is contrabbandiere (smuggler). Note the double b — a common spelling error.

Examples

"La polizia ha scoperto un deposito di contrabbando."

Natural Translation

The police discovered a cache of contraband.

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