outlawry

[out-law-ree]

noun, plural out·law·ries.

the act or process of outlawing.

the state of being outlawed.

disregard or defiance of the law: a man whose outlawry had made him a folk hero.

Origin of outlawry

1350–1400; Middle English outlauerie < Anglo-French utlagerie, Medieval Latin utlagāria < Middle English outlage outlaw + Anglo-French -erie -ry, Medieval Latin -āria -ary

Related formsnon·out·law·ry, noun, plural non·out·law·ries.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outlawry

Historical Examples of outlawry

Outlawry, piracy, smugglery, were all goals too small for such operations.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
It was a Paradise where no writ had ever wandered, nor the word "outlawry" had ever been uttered.
Davenport Dunn, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles James Lever
He had reckoned from childhood on outlawry as his peculiar birthright.
The Education of Henry Adams
Henry Adams
He obtained the removal of his outlawry by presenting George II.
Highways & Byways in Sussex
E.V. Lucas
The king retaliated by placing the clergy of the kingdom in (p. 113) outlawry.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 1 of 8
Various

British Dictionary definitions for outlawry

outlawry

noun plural -ries

the act of outlawing or the state of being outlawed

disregard for the law

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for outlawry

late 14c., from Anglo-French utlagerie, a hybrid from Old English utlaga (see outlaw (n.)) + -ary.