Interdicts

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To officially prohibit or forbid something ; a command issued in military or legal contexts to stop or prevent movement or actions
2. To ban or forbid actions through authoritative decree ; an order used in military or legal settings intended to block or restrict specific activities
3. To impose an official prohibition or restriction ; a directive in military or law enforcement aimed at preventing or disrupting certain operations

Etymology: "Interdicts" is the third-person plural and plural noun form of "interdict," so its story is that of the base word. That base word comes from Latin "interdīcō," built from "inter-" ("between") and "dīcō" ("say"), so its literal sense is something like "say between," used to mean "forbid." It passed into Middle English as "entrediten" by way of Old French "entredire," which kept the same sense of forbidding. The English form then shortened to the modern "interdict," which is why the word still carries the flavour of a formal, authoritative ban rather than a casual objection.

Synonyms: prohibitions, bans