ban
1[ ban ]
/ bæn /
verb (used with object), banned, ban·ning.
to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons;The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
Archaic.
- to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
- to curse; execrate.
noun
SYNONYMS FOR ban
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Origin of ban
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan “to summon, proclaim”; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of Middle English word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī “to speak,” Sanskrit bhanati “(he) speaks”
OTHER WORDS FROM ban
ban·na·ble, adjectiveun·banned, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ban
banns, bansWords nearby ban
Definition for ban (2 of 4)
ban2
[ ban ]
/ bæn /
noun
a public proclamation or edict.
bans, Ecclesiastical. banns.
(in the feudal system)
- the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
- the body of vassals summoned.
Origin of ban
2First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, ban, ban(n)e, iban “a lord's proclamation or edict or summons,” Old English (ge)ban(n) “proclamation, ordinance, summons to arms” (derivative of bannan ); influenced in some senses by Old French ban (Anglicized as ban ), from the same Germanic source; see ban1
Definition for ban (3 of 4)
ban3
[ ban, bahn ]
/ bæn, bɑn /
noun
(formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.
Origin of ban
3First recorded in 1605–15; from Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from unattested bojan, bajan, said to be from a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános “governor”
Definition for ban (4 of 4)
ban4
[ bahn ]
/ bɑn /
noun, plural ba·ni [bah-nee]. /ˈbɑ ni/.
a Romanian coin, one 100th of a leu.
Origin of ban
4First recorded in 1960–65; from Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Serbo-Croatian bân “provincial governor”; see origin at ban3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for ban
British Dictionary definitions for ban (1 of 3)
ban1
/ (bæn) /
verb bans, banning or banned
noun
Word Origin for ban
Old English bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse banna to forbid, Old High German bannan to command
British Dictionary definitions for ban (2 of 3)
ban2
/ (bæn) /
noun
(in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations
Word Origin for ban
C13: from Old French ban, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German ban command, Old Norse bann ban 1
British Dictionary definitions for ban (3 of 3)
ban3
/ (bæn) /
noun plural bani (ˈbɑːnɪ)
a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu
Word Origin for ban
from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat bān lord
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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