interdict

[ noun in-ter-dikt; verb in-ter-dikt ]

/ noun ˈɪn tərˌdɪkt; verb ˌɪn tərˈdɪkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR interdict ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Civil Law. any prohibitory act or decree of a court or an administrative officer.

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.

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)

to forbid; prohibit.

Ecclesiastical. to cut off authoritatively from certain ecclesiastical functions and privileges.

to impede by steady bombardment: Constant air attacks interdicted the enemy's advance.

Nearby words

interdentil, interdentium, interdepartmental, interdependence, interdependent, interdict, interdict list, interdiction, interdictory, interdigit, interdigitate

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 forms

in·ter·dic·tor, nounun·in·ter·dict·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for interdict

Foreign security sector support can and should include efforts to interdict poachers.
The Curse of CAR: Warlords, Blood Diamonds, and Dead Elephants|Christopher Day|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mordred attacked; the Bishop of Canterbury dropped down on him with the Interdict.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
But so it was, and Jasper Lamotte's interdict was not strong enough to sever the intimacy.
The Diamond Coterie|Lawrence L. Lynch
The political legislator may place their empire under an interdict, but he cannot reign there.
The Aesthetical Essays|Friedrich Schiller

The King was not strong enough to withstand the influence of the clergy, and did not venture at once to remove the interdict.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11|Various
The interdict was now removed, and Brother Francis seemed happy.
The Catholic World. Volume II; Numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.|E. Rameur

British Dictionary definitions for interdict

interdict

noun (ˈɪntəˌdɪkt, -ˌdaɪt)

RC Church the exclusion of a person or all persons in a particular place from certain sacraments and other benefits, although not from communion

civil law any order made by a court or official prohibiting an act

Scots law an order having the effect of an injunction

Roman history

an order of a praetor commanding or forbidding an act
the procedure by which this order was sought

verb (ˌɪntəˈdɪkt, -ˈdaɪt) (tr)

to place under legal or ecclesiastical sanction; prohibit; forbid

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

Derived Forms

interdictive or interdictory, adjectiveinterdictively, adverbinterdictor, noun

Word Origin for interdict

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