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definitions

sumptuary law

noun

a law regulating personal habits that offend the moral or religious beliefs of the community.
a law regulating personal expenditures designed to restrain extravagance, especially in food and dress.

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Nearby words

  1. sump syndrome,
  2. sumph,
  3. sumpsimus,
  4. sumpter,
  5. sumptuary,
  6. sumptuary laws,
  7. sumptuous,
  8. sumptuously,
  9. sumqayit,
  10. sumter

Origin of sumptuary law

First recorded in 1590–1600
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for sumptuary law

sumptuary law

noun

(formerly) a law imposing restraint on luxury, esp by limiting personal expenditure or by regulating personal conduct in religious and moral spheres
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