forbid

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
12
Words With Friends
13
Letters
6
Pronunciation
/fɚˈbɪd/
See all 2 pronunciations
/fɚˈbɪd/ · /fəˈbɪd/

Definition of forbid

5 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To disallow; to proscribe.
    “Smoking in the restaurant is forbidden.”
    “[…] 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.”
    “Solon also forbade the export of corn and other agricultural products, with the single exception of olive oil, of which Athens had a surplus.”
See all 5 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To disallow; to proscribe.
    “Smoking in the restaurant is forbidden.”
    “[…] 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.”
    “Solon also forbade the export of corn and other agricultural products, with the single exception of olive oil, of which Athens had a surplus.”
  2. (ditransitive)To deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command.
    “Have I not forbid her my house?”
  3. (transitive)To oppose, hinder, or prevent, as if by an effectual command.
    “An impassable river forbids the approach of the army.”
    “a blaze of glory that forbids the sight”
  4. (obsolete, transitive)To accurse; to blast.
    “He shall live a man forbid.”
  5. (obsolete, transitive)To defy; to challenge.
    “What part of "no" do you forbid to understand?”
    “So there is a resemblance between the partie that here gives licence to come to the tree of life, and the other that forbid to come to it. The one threatned with a sword; the other promiseth to the persons that keep the condition here expressed”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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…

See full etymology

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.

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

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