scofflaw

the word scofflaw is a modern american coinage, created in 1924 as the winning entry in a national prohibition-era contest to invent a term for a person who defied the 18th amendment. it is a compound word formed by directly combining the verb 'scoff', meaning to mock or treat with disdain, with the noun 'law'. the logic is transparent: a scofflaw is one who scoffs at the law. while 'scoff' has middle english and scandinavian roots, and 'law' derives from old english and old norse, their combination tells a specific cultural story of 1920s america, where it described those who openly flouted prohibition laws. it has since generalized to describe any persistent or contemptuous violator of laws or regulations.

Structure: scoff (to mock) + law (rule) scoff: of middle english origin, from a scandinavian source; a verb meaning to mock or treat with contempt. law: of old english origin, from old norse 'lagu'; a noun meaning a rule or system of rules.