Pro-hĭb'it, v. t.
v. t. [imp. & p. p. PROHIBITED; p. pr. & vb. n. PROHIBITING.] [Lat. prohibere, prohibitum, from pro, before, forth, and habere, to have, hold; Fr. prohiber, Pr., Sp., & Pg. prohibir, It. proibire.]
Sense 1. To forbid; to interdict by authority; as, God prohibited Adam to eat of the fruit of a certain tree; we prohibit a person to do a thing, and we prohibit the thing to be done.
Sense 2. To hinder; to debar; to prevent; to preclude.
Gates of burning adamant, Barred over us, prohibit all egress. Milton.
Synonyms— To forbid; interdict; debar; prevent; hinder. — PROHIBIT, FORBID. To forbid is Anglo-Saxon, and is more familiar; to prohibit is Latin, and is more formal or official. A parent forbids his child to be out late at night; he prohibits his intercourse with the profane and vicious. “To forbid is a direct and personal act; to prohibit is an indirect action that operates by means of extended influence; both imply the exercise of power or authority of an individual, and the latter is extended to the authority of government.” Crabb. “The father of Constantine was so incensed at the father of Theodosius, that he forbade the son his house.” Addison. “I think that all such persons [i. e. quacks] should be prohibited from curing their incurable patients by act of Parliament.” Hawkesworth.