sumptuary

This term is highly specialized and primarily used in historical, legal, or sociological contexts. It describes a specific type of regulation designed to enforce social stratification by restricting the consumption of luxury goods to certain classes of people. Because it refers to a specific legal mechanism, it is almost exclusively paired with the words laws or legislation.

In modern usage, the word is rarely applied to current government policies, as contemporary luxury taxes differ from sumptuary laws. While a tax aims to raise revenue, a sumptuary law aims to control social behavior and maintain a visible hierarchy of status through mandated austerity or restriction.