Preclude

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹɪˈkluːd/

Definitions

1. To hinder the occurrence of an event or action by creating barriers or limitations that ensure it cannot happen
2. To block the possibility of something taking place through preventive measures or restrictions that negate its potential
3. To prevent something from happening by imposing obstacles or restrictions that make it impossible to occur

Etymology: The core of "preclude" is a simple Latin act: closing a door in advance. Its ancestor, "praeclūdere," combines "prae" ("before, in front") with "claudere" ("to close, shut"), so the literal sense is shutting something off before it can happen. The same root gives English "close," "include," "exclude," and "conclude," all of which share that underlying idea of shutting or fastening. The word reached English as a learned borrowing, meaning English writers took it directly from Latin rather than through everyday speech or French. Its sense has stayed close to the original image: to make something impossible by blocking it off ahead of time, so that the event never gets a chance to occur.

Synonyms: prevent, prohibit, exclude, foreclose, interdict

Antonyms: allow, permit, enable, facilitate, encourage