Prevent

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹɪˈvɛnt/

Definitions

1. To stop something from happening or keep it from occurring by taking action beforehand
2. To act in a way that stops an event or situation from happening or to ensure that an outcome does not occur through deliberate measures
3. To take measures in advance to keep an event or action from taking place

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "prevent" is that its original sense was almost the opposite of what it means now. In Middle English, to "prevent" someone was to get ahead of them, to act first, and it did not carry any idea of blocking or stopping. The word came into English from Latin "praeventus", the past participle of "praevenire", which literally combined "prae" ("before") with "venire" ("to come"). To prevent something was to come before it. That sense of arriving first is still visible in older writing and in the phrase "prevenient grace", a theological term for God's grace coming to a person before they act. The shift from "anticipate" to "hinder" happened gradually, as acting in advance came to be understood as a way of stopping an outcome before it could develop.

Synonyms: stop, hinder, prohibit, forestall, avert

Antonyms: allow, permit, facilitate