A system of extremely harsh and severe laws or punishments, or the ideology supporting such strict measures.
From Draco, an ancient Athenian lawgiver (7th century BCE) famous for his brutal legal code where minor crimes carried death penalties, plus the suffix -ism. The word has symbolized severity in law for over 2,000 years.
Draco's laws were so famously brutal that people started saying 'draconian' to describe any harsh rule—and we still use the word today without even remembering we're naming-dropping an ancient Athenian legislator from 2,600 years ago!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.