banish

[ ban-ish ]
See synonyms for: banishbanishedbanishesbanishment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree; condemn to exile: He was banished to Devil's Island.

  2. to compel to depart; send, drive, or put away: to banish sorrow.

Origin of banish

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English banisshen, from Anglo-French, Old French baniss-, long stem of banir, from unrecorded Frankish bannjan “to proclaim,” akin to ban1

Other words for banish

Other words from banish

  • ban·ish·er, noun
  • ban·ish·ment, noun
  • self-ban·ished, adjective
  • un·ban·ished, adjective

Words Nearby banish

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How to use banish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for banish

banish

/ (ˈbænɪʃ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to expel from a place, esp by an official decree as a punishment

  2. to drive away: to banish gloom

Origin of banish

1
C14: from Old French banir, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German ban

Derived forms of banish

  • banishment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012