Injunction

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈd͡ʒʌŋk.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A court-issued order that directs a party to perform or avoid certain actions to uphold the law or a legal right
2. A legal decree issued by a judge that mandates a person or group to do or refrain from specific acts
3. An authoritative command from a court compelling or preventing certain behavior to enforce rights or rules

Etymology: The Latin "iniūnctiō" meant a command or order, built from "iniungere," "to join or bind onto," which combined "in-" ("into, upon") with "iungere" ("to join," the same root that gave English "join" and "yoke"). The sense of binding someone to a course of action is visible in the original image: a command fastened onto a person like a yoke onto an ox. The word passed into Middle English as "iniunccyon" or "iniunccion," carried through Old French "injonction." Its earliest English uses were in the general sense of an order or directive, and the specific legal meaning of a court's written order forbidding or requiring an action came later as the term was applied in courtroom practice. The word is also a close relative of "enjoin," which came into English from the same Latin verb through Old French, so the two words share a source while settling into different roles: one a verb meaning to command or forbid, the other a noun naming the command itself as issued by a court.

Synonyms: order, command, directive, prohibition, mandate

Antonyms: permission, allowance, authorization, consent, approval