(formerly) a law imposing restraint on luxury, esp by limiting personal expenditure or by regulating personal conduct in religious and moral spheres
sumptuary law in American English
noun
1.
a law regulating personal habits that offend the moral or religious beliefs of the community
2.
a law regulating personal expenditures designed to restrain extravagance, esp. in food and dress
Word origin
[1590–1600]This word is first recorded in the period 1590–1600. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: dummy, investment, mission, squeeze, tea
Examples of 'sumptuary law' in a sentence
sumptuary law
Of course sumptuary law will never make a return.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I reckon we could do with a return to sumptuary laws.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Without sumptuary laws, luxury was suddenly within reach for anyone.
The Times Literary Supplement (2015)
Sumptuary laws, she argues, could often allow citizens room for manoeuvre.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Let's be honest - dress codes are neither here nor there unless you're the type of person who believes in sumptuary laws.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Restricting the sporting of red to the suitably ennobled has traditionally been an obsession of sumptuary laws.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
For court artists in the grand siècle, the sumptuary laws affected the focus of their work.
The Times Literary Supplement (2017)
As wealth spread and class divides narrowed, sumptuary laws imposed limits on conspicuous consumption and enforced a strict dress code.