ban

First 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, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ban

banns, bans

Words nearby ban

bamboo shoots, bamboo turning, bamboo ware, bamboozle, B.A.Mus.Ed., ban, Banaba, Banaban, Banach space, banak, banal

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

First 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

First 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

⁴

First 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

But in 1969, a longstanding practice was challenged—its ban on women.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A ban on the ringing of church bells, lifted in 1941, was reimposed.
Remembering the Russian Priest Who Fought the Orthodox Church|Cathy Young|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The United Nations was prompted to impose a ban on selling mainframe computers or laptops to North Korea.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But after Rolling Stone's rape story debacle, how much momentum does the call to ban fraternities have left?
Fraternities in a Post-UVA World|Samantha Allen|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We spent 2014 asking whether or not we should ban fraternities.
Fraternities in a Post-UVA World|Samantha Allen|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When this is done, how happy will all be to remove every bar and ban!
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 18 (of 20)|Charles Sumner
The outer ice was melted, our lovely cities crumbled to nothing, so that creatures like Ban Cruach might have water!
Black Amazon of Mars|Leigh Brackett
An indignation meeting was held, and certain freshmen were placed under the ban.
Frank Merriwell at Yale|Burt L. Standish
The Church might well boast that its ban had broken the spirit of the greatest Italian of the age.
A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume III|Henry Charles Lea
As for the poor dear fairies, they had been placed under a ban by the followers of Jean Jacques.
Maria Edgeworth|Helen Zimmern

British Dictionary definitions for ban (1 of 3)

ban¹

/ (bæn) /

verb bans, banning or banned

(tr) to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbidto ban a book; to ban smoking

(tr) (formerly in South Africa) to place (a person suspected of illegal political activity) under a government order restricting his movement and his contact with other people

archaic to curse

noun

an official prohibition or interdiction

law an official proclamation or public notice, esp of prohibition

a public proclamation or edict, esp of outlawry

archaic public censure or condemnation

archaic a curse; imprecation

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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verb (used with object), banned, ban·ning.

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Origin of ban

OTHER WORDS FROM ban

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ban

Words nearby ban

Definition for ban (2 of 4)

noun

Origin of ban

Definition for ban (3 of 4)

noun

Origin of ban