To make legal or permit under law. Either by decriminalising something that has been illegal or by specifically permitting it.
To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance.
To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions.
To ratify; to make valid.
An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid.
A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.
A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.