ban

¹

[ ban ]

verb (used with object)

, banned, ban·ning.

1. to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict:

   to ban nuclear weapons;

   The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.

   Synonyms: taboo, proscribe, outlaw

   Antonyms: allow

2. Archaic.
   1. to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
   2. to curse; execrate.

noun

1. the act of prohibiting by law; interdiction.

   Synonyms: taboo, interdict, proscription, prohibition

2. informal denunciation or prohibition, as by public opinion:

   society's ban on racial discrimination.

   Synonyms: taboo

3. Law.
   1. a proclamation.
   2. a public condemnation.
4. Ecclesiastical. a formal condemnation; excommunication.
5. a malediction; curse.

ban

²

[ ban ]

noun

1. a public proclamation or edict.
2. bans, Ecclesiastical. banns.
3. (in the feudal system)
   1. the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
   2. the body of vassals summoned.

ban

³

[ ban, bahn ]

noun

1. (formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
2. History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.

ban

⁴

[ bahn ]

noun

, plural ba·ni [bah, -nee].

1. a Romanian coin, one 100th of a leu.

ban

¹

/ bæn /

noun

1. (in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations

ban

²

/ bæn /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu

ban

³

/ bæn /

verb

1. tr to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbid

   to ban smoking

   to ban a book

2. tr (formerly in South Africa) to place (a person suspected of illegal political activity) under a government order restricting his movement and his contact with other people
3. archaic.
   to curse

noun

1. an official prohibition or interdiction
2. law an official proclamation or public notice, esp of prohibition
3. a public proclamation or edict, esp of outlawry
4. archaic.
   public censure or condemnation
5. archaic.
   a curse; imprecation

Other Words From

• banna·ble adjective
• un·banned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan “to summon, proclaim”; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of Middle English word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī “to speak,” Sanskrit bhanati “(he) speaks”

Origin of ban²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, ban, ban(n)e, iban “a lord's proclamation or edict or summons,” Old English (ge)ban(n) “proclamation, ordinance, summons to arms” (derivative of bannan ); influenced in some senses by Old French ban (Anglicized as ban ), from the same Germanic source; ban ¹

Origin of ban³

First recorded in 1605–15; from Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from unattested bojan, bajan, said to be from a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános “governor”

Origin of ban⁴

First recorded in 1960–65; from Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Serbo-Croatian bân “provincial governor”; ban ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

C13: from Old French ban , of Germanic origin; related to Old High German ban command, Old Norse bann ban ¹

Origin of ban²

from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat bān lord

Origin of ban³

Old English bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse banna to forbid, Old High German bannan to command

Example Sentences

In the state of Missouri, Amendment 3 passed, which will enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution and overturn the state’s current ban.

From Salon

Shariyf pointed out how there was only one abortion clinic in the state before the total ban went into effect.

From Salon

With the Supreme Court backing him, Trump will ban reporters the administration deems “fake news” or “enemies of the people.”

From Salon

He has also reportedly called for the Defence Department to be renamed the War Department and for a 10-year ban on generals working as defence contractors after leaving the military.

From BBC

If true, the ban on legalization talk would be strange.

From Salon

Related Words

• boycott
• censorship
• embargo
• injunction
• prohibition
• refusal
• restriction