outlaw

English

Robin Hood, an outlaw in English folklore.

A wanted poster for Jesse James, an American outlaw.

Etymology

From Middle English outlawe, outlagh, utlaȝe, from Old English ūtlaga (“outlaw”), borrowed from Old Norse útlagi (“outlaw, fugitive”), equivalent to out- +‎ law. Cognate with Icelandic útlagi (“outlaw”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Noun

outlaw (plural outlaws)

1. A fugitive from the law.
2. (history) A criminal who is excluded from normal legal rights; one who can be killed at will without legal penalty.
3. A person who operates outside established norms.

   The main character in the play was a bit of an outlaw who refused to shake hands or say thank you.

4. A wild horse.
5. (humorous) An in-law: a relative by marriage.
6. (humorous) One who would be an in-law except that the marriage-like relationship is unofficial.
7. (slang) A prostitute who works alone, without a pimp.

Synonyms

• (fugitive): absconder, fugitive
• (criminal): bandit, wolfshead
• (person who operates outside established norms): anti-hero, deviant

Hypernyms

• (criminal): See Thesaurus:criminal
• (prostitute): See Thesaurus:prostitute

Translations

a fugitive from the law

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逃犯 (zh) (táofàn)

• Danish: fredløs (da) c
• Dutch: vogelvrije (nl)
• Esperanto: eksterleĝulo, eksterleĝulino
• Estonian: lindprii
• Finnish: lainsuojaton (fi)
• French: hors-la-loi (fr)
• German: Verfemter (de) m (rare), Outlaw (de) m, Gesetzloser (de) m
• Greek: παράνομος (el) m (paránomos), φυγάς (el) m (fygás)
• Hungarian: törvényen kívüli
• Icelandic: útlagi m
• Italian: fuorilegge (it) m
• Japanese: 逃亡者 (とうぼうしゃ, tōbōsha), 逃亡犯 (とうぼうはん, tōbōhan), 逃走者 (とうそうしゃ, tōsōsha), 逃走犯 (とうそうはん, tōsōhan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: proscriptus m
• Maori: tangata hara
• Norman: proscrit m
• Old English: ūtlaga m
• Portuguese: fora-de-lei m or f
• Romanian: fugar (ro) m
• Russian: престу́пник (ru) m (prestúpnik), престу́пница (ru) f (prestúpnica), разбо́йник (ru) m (razbójnik), разбо́йница (ru) f (razbójnica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: razbojnik (sh) m, odmetnik (sh) m, izopćenik (sh) m

• Spanish: forajido (es) m, fugitivo m, desperado (es) m
• Swedish: fredlös (sv)
• Tagalog: taunlabas

person without legal rights

• Danish: fredløs (da) c
• Dutch: vogelvrije (nl)
• Finnish: lainsuojaton (fi)
• German: Ächtung (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: persoană fără de lege f
• Russian: изго́й (ru) m (izgój), изгна́нник (ru) m (izgnánnik), изгна́нница (ru) f (izgnánnica), отве́рженный (ru) m (otvéržennyj), отве́рженная (ru) f (otvéržennaja)
• Swedish: fredlös (sv)

wild horse

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野馬／野马 (zh) (yěmǎ), 野马 (zh) (yěmǎ)

• Finnish: villihevonen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: αγριάλογο n (agriálogo)
• Russian: ди́кая ло́шадь f (díkaja lóšadʹ)

Verb

1. To declare illegal.
2. To place a ban upon.
   • 2016 August 15, “'Zombie knives' ban to come into force”, in BBC News‎^[1]:

     The legal change in England and Wales will outlaw selling, manufacturing, renting or importing zombie knives.

3. To remove from legal jurisdiction or enforcement.

   to outlaw a debt or claim

4. To deprive of legal force.

   Laws outlawed by necessity. — Fuller.

See also

• criminalize
• felonize
• misdemeanorize

Translations

to declare illegal

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宣告非法 (xuāngào fēifǎ)

• Danish: kriminalisere
• Finnish: julistaa laittomaksi, kieltää (fi)
• German: ächten (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: útlægja
• Old English: ūtlagian
• Russian: объявля́ть вне зако́на impf (obʺjavljátʹ vne zakóna)
• Swedish: kriminalisera (sv)

to place a ban on

• Danish: banlyse
• Icelandic: útlægja
• Old English: ūtlagian
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: bannlysa (sv)

Further reading

• “outlaw”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “outlaw”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “outlaw”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.