# illicit

Pronunciation: US say "i-LIS-it" /ɪˈlɪsɪt/; UK

## Adjective

1. Forbidden by law, or done in violation of it.
   - Simple: Against the law and not allowed.
   - _Officers uncovered an illicit gambling operation in the back of the restaurant._
   - _The trade in illicit weapons keeps the conflict going long after the ceasefire._
2. Going against accepted social norms.
   - Simple: Against what society thinks is right or proper.
   - _Their illicit affair had been the talk of the office for months._
   - _She took an illicit pleasure in reading her sister's diary._
3. In law, not sanctioned by law, though not legally invalid.
   - Simple: In law, not allowed by the law, but still counted as real and binding.
   - _Although the contract was illicit, the judge ruled that it remained binding on both parties._
   - _The wedding was illicit because the bishop had not given permission, yet it was still a valid marriage._

## Noun

4. A banned or unlawful item, such as an illegal drug.
   - Simple: Something that is not allowed by law, such as an illegal drug.
   - _Respondents were asked whether they had used alcohol, tobacco, or any illicits in the past month._
   - _Cannabis was the only illicit the patient admitted to using._

## Origin

Borrowed from French illicite, from Latin illicitus, from in- ("not") + licitus ("allowed, permitted"), from licet ("it is allowed"); it can also be read as il- + licit.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/illicit (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).