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Glite Dictionary
pragmatic sanction

pragmatic sanction

9.9
An official order by a king or emperor that becomes a basic law of the country
  • noun
  • /præɡˈmætɪk ˈsæŋkʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : sanción pragmática
  • The pragmatic sanction of 1713 ensured that Maria Theresa could inherit the Habsburg throne.

Examples

  • The emperor issued a pragmatic sanction to formally amend the laws of succession.

  • Historians debate the long-term effects of the pragmatic sanction on European succession laws.

  • The pragmatic sanction was issued by the king in 1713.

  • What is a pragmatic sanction?

  • The pragmatic sanction of 1713 was a crucial law that allowed a woman to inherit the Habsburg throne.

  • After much discussion, the council approved the pragmatic sanction to establish new rules for succession.

  • A pragmatic sanction is an important royal decree that can shape the future of a monarchy.

Synonyms

decretive
vspragmatic sanction
  • Archaic
9.9

An official order made by someone in power

is a sovereign order made into lasting fundamental law

Surface Forms

pragmatic sanction singular
pragmatic sanctions plural

Morphology

pragmatic + sanction

While the components 'pragmatic' (practical) and 'sanction' (formal approval) hint at a kind of approval, the specific historical-legal sense — a sovereign decree incorporated as fundamental law — is a fixed, domain-specific term that cannot be reliably inferred by a B1 learner from the parts. This is a conventionalized legal/historical label (often capitalized) whose full meaning requires prior exposure or background knowledge, so it is not transparently compositional.

Etymology

Pragmatic sanction originally named a ruler's practical decision made into law: pragmatic means 'practical' and sanction means 'official order'. Imagine a king stamping a rule so it cannot be changed; that image explains why the phrase means 'a ruler's formal decree that becomes a basic law'.