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international law

international law

73 4.1
Rules that countries follow when they deal with each other
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərˈnæʃənl lɔ/
translation icon : derecho internacional
  • The extent to which and how international law regulates cyber harm remains a pressing question.
  • principles of international law
  • violations of international law
  • international law governs

So we have to explain that international law requires China to comply.

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Examples

  • Countries abide by international law to maintain peaceful relations with one another.

  • At the same time, the Arctic presents new and unique challenges to international law.

    Academic text (2008)
  • But there is no international law for where things have to be.

  • For the good of international law and of the United States, that must change.

    Academic text (2008)
  • So we have to explain that international law requires China to comply.

  • But we strongly recommend that international law and the civil rights of all concerned should be respected.

  • This is an act of aggression against a friendly power, an outrageous breach of international law.

  • Consequently, every state has a right under international law to prosecute pirates in its domestic courts.

    Academic text (2011)
  • They kept saying international legitimacy, international law, UN resolutions.

  • It violates international law.

Synonyms

law of nations
vsinternational law
  • Specialized
3 6.7

Rules that tell how countries must act with each other

means the same but uses an older traditional term

How International

international law
73 4.1
extraterritoriality
  • Formal
9.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

international + law

The meaning is directly compositional: 'international' (between or among countries) combined with 'law' (rules or regulations) yields the notion of rules governing relations between countries. This is a common, cross-linguistic compound and follows standard semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

International law comes from the words international (meaning 'between nations') and law (meaning 'rules'). It gives the picture of rules that guide how countries act with each other, so it means 'the rules that guide how countries deal with each other'.