embargo

Embargoes may be put in place for any number of reasons. For instance, a government may place a trade embargo against another country to express its disapproval with that country’s policies. But governments are not the only bodies that can place embargoes. A publisher, for example, could place an embargo on a highly anticipated book to prevent stores from selling it before its official release date. The word embargo, dating from the late 16th century, derives via Spanish embargar from Vulgar Latin imbarricare, formed from the prefix in- and the noun "barra" ("bar").