Debars

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Prevents someone from taking part or entering a place by official or authoritative decision
2. Stops a person from involvement or access through formal restriction
3. Blocks or forbids participation or admission using a set rule or law

Etymology: "Debars" is the third-person singular form of "debar," so its history belongs to the verb itself. "Debar" comes from Anglo-Norman "debarrer," a compound of "de-" (meaning "from" or "away") and "barrer," meaning "to bar." The image is literal: to bar someone out, by putting a barrier across the way in. The bar behind the root is the same piece of wood or iron that bolted a door or gate. Over time the sense moved from the physical barricade to the social or legal one. A person is debarred now not by a gate but by a rule, a membership requirement, or a formal decision that closes a path to something. The verb keeps the old shape of blocking entry while applying it to people's rights and opportunities.

Synonyms: prohibit, exclude, bar, prevent, forbid

Antonyms: allow, permit, let, enable, authorize