Outlaw:
Noun
a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially
one who is a fugitive
from the law.
Verb (used with
object)
to make unlawful or illegal: The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages in the U.S.
Adjective
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of
an outlaw.
Origin:
before 1150; Middle English outlawe, Old English ūtlaga < Old Norse ūtlagi one outside the protection of the law
before 1150; Middle English outlawe, Old English ūtlaga < Old Norse ūtlagi one outside the protection of the law
Word Origin & History:
Outlaw
O.E. utlaga "one put
outside the law" (and thereby deprived of its benefits
and protections), from O.N. utlagi (n.) "outlaw," from utlagr (adj.) "outlawed, banished," from
ut "out" + *lagu, pl. of lag "law"
(see law).
"[G]if he man to deaðe gefylle, beo he þonne utlah"
["Laws of Edward & Guthrum,"
c.924]
The verb is from O.E. utlagian.
Meaning "one living a lawless life" is first recorded 1880.
My
Sentence:
Jim Crow is the outlaw of Underdawg Town. He
stole all of the trees and clogged up all the water fountains. A wanted poster
has been put up on every corner for the capture of the Underdawg Town Outlaw.Bibliography
Harper, Douglas. "Dictionary.com." 2010. Online
Etymology Dictionary. 31 March 2012
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/outlaw?s=t>.
Excellent choice, outlaw. I think the word is underused nowadays. Do you think a modern spin on the word could be, "that man smells so good his pheromones should be outlawed"?
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ReplyDeleteFor me every time I hear "Outlaw" I think of an anti-hero in movies or Tu-pac. The word has be glamorized over time where it is cool to be an "outlaw" and in the same sense it is dangerous to know an actual outlaw (where they aren't like those in the movies). Awesome choice on a word that holds such infamy.
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