eighteenth amendment
Low/MediumFormal, Historical, Academic, Legal
Definition
Meaning
A specific amendment to the United States Constitution that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
A term often used as historical shorthand for the Prohibition era in the United States (1920-1933) and its associated cultural, social, and legal consequences.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
This is a proper noun referring to a specific, singular historical/legal document. It is capitalized when referring to the U.S. Constitution amendment. It can be used metonymically to refer to the Prohibition era.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In American English, it is a key historical/legal term. In British English, it is primarily a reference to a foreign (American) historical event, used in academic or comparative contexts.
Connotations
For Americans: strong connotations of gangsterism, speakeasies, bootlegging, and a failed social experiment. For British: a distant historical curiosity, often associated with American crime dramas.
Frequency
Virtually exclusive to American historical and legal discourse. Rare in general British English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The Eighteenth Amendment was [verbed] in 1919.The [adjective] Eighteenth Amendment led to [noun].During the Eighteenth Amendment, [event] happened.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Not commonly used idiomatically. The term itself is the reference.]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly in discussions of regulatory history for alcohol, tobacco, or vice industries.
Academic
Common in history, political science, law, and American studies papers.
Everyday
Rare, except in discussions of history or in metaphors for failed government policies.
Technical
Standard term in U.S. constitutional law and historical texts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The US Congress voted to eighteenth-amend the Constitution in 1917. (Note: This is a highly non-standard, creative usage for example purposes.)
American English
- The states moved to eighteenth-amend the nation's legal framework. (Note: This is a highly non-standard, creative usage for example purposes.)
adverb
British English
- The law was changed Eighteenth-Amendmently, through constitutional ratification. (Note: This is a highly non-standard, creative usage for example purposes.)
American English
- The country governed itself almost Eighteenth-Amendmently for thirteen years. (Note: This is a highly non-standard, creative usage for example purposes.)
adjective
British English
- The Eighteenth-Amendment era was a fascinating period of social history.
American English
- We studied Eighteenth-Amendment politics in my history class.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The Eighteenth Amendment was a law in America.
- It stopped people from selling alcohol.
- The Eighteenth Amendment started the period called Prohibition.
- Many people broke the law during the Eighteenth Amendment.
- Ratified in 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment instituted a nationwide ban on alcohol.
- The unintended consequences of the Eighteenth Amendment included a rise in organized crime.
- While ostensibly a moral victory, the Eighteenth Amendment's enforcement proved pragmatically untenable, fostering widespread illicit activity.
- Scholars often cite the Eighteenth Amendment as a prime example of the limitations of legislating morality.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think '18' sounds like 'ate' (past of eat) - "They ATE away at freedoms, then repealed it." Or, 18th = 1+8=9, and Prohibition was a '9-year' major event (actually 13, but the mnemonic helps link the number).
Conceptual Metaphor
A failed experiment; a legislative straightjacket; a social valve being closed (leading to pressure buildup).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate as 'восемнадцатый *дополнение*'. Use 'восемнадцатая *поправка*'.
- Avoid literal translation of 'amendment' as 'амендмент' (a false friend).
- The capitalisation is important in English to mark it as a proper noun.
Common Mistakes
- Writing it in lower case ('eighteenth amendment').
- Confusing it with the 19th Amendment (women's suffrage).
- Using 'the' inconsistently (it's usually 'the Eighteenth Amendment').
Practice
Quiz
What was the primary effect of the Eighteenth Amendment?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It was ratified in 1919 and took effect in January 1920. It was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment in December 1933.
No. It is the only amendment to have been entirely repealed (by the Twenty-first Amendment). It remains in the document but is no longer operative.
The Eighteenth Amendment established the constitutional prohibition of alcohol. The Volstead Act was the federal law passed by Congress to provide for the enforcement of the amendment.
It was the eighteenth change or addition to be made to the text of the United States Constitution, following the first seventeen amendments (the Bill of Rights and others).