'sanction' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'sānctiō' (from the verb 'sancīre'), where 'sancīre' meant 'to make sacred, to decree or confirm.'

'sanction' passed into Old French as 'sançion' and then into Middle English (variants such as 'sancioun'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'sanction'.

Initially it meant 'a decree or making something sacred/confirmed,' but over time it evolved to mean 'official approval' and later also acquired the related sense of 'a penalty or punishment' applied by authority.