interdict

[in-ter-dikt, in-ter-dikt]

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.

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.

interdict

noun

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

verb

1. to place under legal or ecclesiastical sanction; prohibit; forbid

2. military to destroy (an enemy's lines of communication) by firepower

Other Word Forms

• interdictor noun
• interdictive adjective
• interdictively adverb
• uninterdicted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interdict¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) from Latin interdictum “prohibition,” noun use of neuter of interdictus, past participle of interdīcere “to forbid,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + -dic- (variant stem of dīcere “to speak”) + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Middle English enterdit, from Old French, from Latin, as above; (verb) from Latin interdictus; replacing Middle English enterditen, from Old French entredire (past participle entredit ), from Latin, as above; inter-

Word History and Origins

Origin of interdict¹

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

Example Sentences

“Instead of interdicting it, on the president’s orders, we blew it up. And it’ll happen again. Maybe it’s happening right now.”

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the new areas "will enhance our ability to detect, interdict and prosecute the illegal aliens, criminal gangs, and terrorists who were able to invade our country".

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Illegal border crossings have dropped to their lowest point this century, thanks to a Mexican campaign to interdict northbound migrants and Trump’s actions to end asylum at the U.S. border.

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“Border security is not just about interdicting drugs and preventing illegal entries. It also involves protecting the public from dangerous diseases.”

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On March 1, Lebanon’s Finance Ministry announced it interdicted a suitcase with $2.5 million from someone arriving at Beirut airport — presumably a cash infusion for the group.

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