n.
Pronunciation: ' kän-tr ə - ˌ band
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian contrabbando, from Medieval Latin contrabannum, from contra- + bannus, bannum decree, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bannan to command ― more at BAN
Date: circa 1529
1 : illegal or prohibited traffic in goods : SMUGGLING
2 : goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden also : smuggled goods
3 : a slave who during the American Civil War escaped to or was brought within the Union lines
– contraband adjective