Main Entry:

¹ban

Pronunciation:

\ˈban\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

banned; ban·ning

Etymology:

Middle English bannen to summon, curse, from Old English bannan to summon; akin to Old High German bannan to command, Latin fari to speak, Greek phanai to say, phōnē sound, voice

Date:

12th century

transitive verb1archaic : curse2: to prohibit especially by legal means <ban discrimination> ; also : to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of <ban a book> <ban a pesticide>3: bar 3c <banned from the U.N.>intransitive verbarchaic : to utter curses or maledictions