interdict

Word family

• interdiction
  nounC1
• interdictory
  adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words mean 'to not allow something,' but they differ in formality, authority, and scope. 'Forbid' is the most general and can be used by anyone — a parent can forbid a child from staying up late. 'Prohibit' is more formal and suggests an official rule or law, as in 'the school prohibits smoking on campus.' 'Interdict' is even more formal and specifically implies a legal or authoritative decree, often issued by a court or governing body with binding power. 'Ban' is the broadest in usage and can range from informal social bans ('the app was banned from the party') to government-level prohibitions. 'Outlaw' specifically means to make something illegal by passing a law, usually with criminal penalties. In practice, if a court issues a formal ruling preventing specific actions, use 'interdict'; for general legal rules, use 'prohibit' or 'ban'; and for criminalisation, use 'outlaw.' For example: 'The hospital interdicted Dr. Xin from accessing patient records during the investigation,' but 'the government banned single-use plastic bags last year.'

Common collocations

Etymology

The word 'interdict' entered English around the 13th century from Old French 'interdit', which came from Latin 'interdictum', the past participle of 'interdicere' — a combination of 'inter-' ('between' or 'among') and 'dicere' ('to say'). The Latin root literally means 'to speak between' or 'to interpose by speaking,' which evolved into the sense of 'to forbid by official decree.' The noun form (referring to a court order or church penalty) appeared shortly after the verb in English.