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interdict

[noun in-ter-dikt; verb in-ter-dikt]
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noun
  1. Civil Law. any prohibitory act or decree of a court or an administrative officer.
  2. Roman Catholic Church. a punishment by which the faithful, remaining in communion with the church, are forbidden certain sacraments and prohibited from participation in certain sacred acts.
  3. Roman Law. a general or special order of the Roman praetor forbidding or commanding an act, especially in cases involving disputed possession.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to forbid; prohibit.
  2. Ecclesiastical. to cut off authoritatively from certain ecclesiastical functions and privileges.
  3. to impede by steady bombardment: Constant air attacks interdicted the enemy's advance.
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Origin of interdict

1250–1300; (noun) < Latin interdictum prohibition, noun use of neuter of interdictus past participle of interdīcere to forbid, equivalent to inter- inter- + -dic- (variant stem of dīcere to speak) + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Middle English enterdit < Old French < Latin, as above; (v.) < Latin interdictus; replacing Middle English enterditen < Old French entredire (past participle entredit) < Latin, as above
Related formsin·ter·dic·tor, nounun·in·ter·dict·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for interdict

interdict

noun (ˈɪntəˌdɪkt, -ˌdaɪt)
  1. RC Church the exclusion of a person or all persons in a particular place from certain sacraments and other benefits, although not from communion
  2. civil law any order made by a court or official prohibiting an act
  3. Scots law an order having the effect of an injunction
  4. Roman history
    1. an order of a praetor commanding or forbidding an act
    2. the procedure by which this order was sought
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verb (ˌɪntəˈdɪkt, -ˈdaɪt) (tr)
  1. to place under legal or ecclesiastical sanction; prohibit; forbid
  2. military to destroy (an enemy's lines of communication) by firepower
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Derived Formsinterdictive or interdictory, adjectiveinterdictively, adverbinterdictor, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Latin interdictum prohibition, from interdīcere to forbid, from inter- + dīcere to say
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

Word Origin and History for interdict

v.

late 13c., from Old French entredit, past participle of entredire "forbid by decree," from Latin interdicere "interpose by speech, prohibit," from inter- "between" (see inter-) + dicere "to speak, to say" (see diction). Related: Interdicted; interdicting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper