Enjoin

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/

Definitions

1. To impose a formal requirement that compels an individual or group to act in a certain way while simultaneously encouraging collaborative efforts or unity
2. To formally command or instruct an individual or group to take specific action or abstain from an act while also promoting a sense of togetherness or common purpose
3. To officially command a person or group to perform or refrain from a specific act ; to issue a legal order preventing someone from engaging in a particular behavior

Etymology: The verb "enjoin" has a surprisingly physical starting point: its Latin ancestor, "iniungo," meant "to attach" or "to fasten onto," as if tying one thing to another. The Latin verb was built from "in-," meaning "into" or "upon," and "iungo," meaning "to join" (the same root that gave English "join" and "yoke"). Something was literally bound to something else before any idea of command entered the picture. The word passed into Old French as "enjoindre," where the sense shifted from fastening things together toward bringing people together, which is the notion of "joining with" in the source's gloss. From there it reached Middle English as "enjoinen," and English speakers gradually used it for pressing a demand on someone. The command carried a binding quality, as though the instruction tied the listener to a course of action. That old sense of binding explains the modern pairing of compulsion and unity. To enjoin someone is to bind them with a formal requirement, and the same tie can draw a group into shared effort.

Synonyms: command, order, direct, instruct, require

Antonyms: allow, permit, advise, request