forbid
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English forbeden, from Old English forbēodan (“to forbid, prohibit, restrain, refuse, repeal, annul”), from Proto-Germanic *furibeudaną, from *furi + *beudaną. Equivalent to for- (“from, away”) + bid (“to offer, proclaim”). Cognate with Dutch verbieden (“to forbid”), German verbieten (“to forbid”), Danish forbyde (“to forbid”), Norwegian Bokmål forby (“to forbid”), Swedish förbjuda (“to forbid”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (faurbiudan). Related to forbode.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /fɚˈbɪd/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəˈbɪd/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪd
Verb[edit]
forbid (third-person singular simple present forbids, present participle forbidding, simple past forbid or forbade or forbad, past participle forbidden)
- (transitive) To disallow; to proscribe.
- Smoking in the restaurant is forbidden.
- 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
- […] the Mole recollected that animal-etiquette forbade any sort of comment on the sudden disappearance of one's friends at any moment, for any reason or no reason whatever.
- (ditransitive) To deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command.
- c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii]:
- Have I not forbid her my house?
- (transitive) To oppose, hinder, or prevent, as if by an effectual command.
- An impassable river forbids the approach of the army.
- 1687, [John Dryden], “(please specify the page number(s))”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 460679539:
- a blaze of glory that forbids the sight
- (transitive, obsolete) To accurse; to blast.
- c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iii]:
- He shall live a man forbid.
- (transitive, obsolete) To defy; to challenge.
- What part of "no" do you forbid to understand?
- (Can we find and add a quotation of L. Andrews to this entry?)
Usage notes[edit]
- Especially when talking about a person, the expression is not allowed to is much more common than the very formal is forbidden to/is forbidden from.
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive or the gerund (-ing) when the person is mentioned from whom something is forbidden, and it takes the gerund (-ing) when such a person is not mentioned. See Appendix:English catenative verbs. Examples:
- The management forbids employees from smoking/to smoke in the office. (Active; those subject to prohibition are identified)
- Employees are forbidden from smoking/to smoke in the office. (Passive; those subject to prohibition are identified)
- The management forbids smoking in the office. (Active; those subject to prohibition are not identified)
- Smoking in the office is forbidden. (Passive; those subject to prohibition are not identified)
Synonyms[edit]
- prohibit
- disallow
- ban
- veto
- See also Thesaurus:prohibit
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to disallow
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References[edit]
- forbid in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.
- forbid in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Categories:
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰewdʰ-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English words prefixed with for-
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English ditransitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Requests for quotation/L. Andrews
- English class 5 strong verbs
- English irregular verbs
- English reporting verbs
- en:Directives