proscription

[ proh-skrip-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of proscribing.
2. the state of being proscribed.
3. the act of making something unlawful or illegal; interdiction or prohibition.

Other Words From

• pro·scrip·tive [proh-, skrip, -tiv], adjective
• non·pro·scrip·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of proscription¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English proscripcioun, from Latin prōscrīptiōn- (stem of prōscrīptiō ) “public notice of confiscation or outlawry,” equivalent to prōscrīpt(us) (past participle of prōscrībere “to proscribe ”) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Proscription and persecution were systematized in a manner without precedent, by the compilation of lists of all suspects.

From Project Gutenberg

Proscription was not the result of any trial but of the caprice of the general, and that too without any warning.

From Project Gutenberg

This Proscription of Sulla was the first instance of the kind, but it was repeated at a later time.

From Project Gutenberg

Proscription has its advantages—for one thing, it binds human hearts like hoops of steel.

From Project Gutenberg

Proscription, the miserable invention of ungenerous ambition.

From Project Gutenberg