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DictionaryproscribeOfficially forbid
verb

proscribe

proh-SKRIBE/prəʊˈskraɪb/

To officially forbid or ban someone or something.

The official proscribes entry to the conservation area and closes its gate.

An official closes a gate to a fragile conservation area and posts a brief functional NO ENTRY notice, prohibited entry unambiguous, no other text.
Etymology
proLatinbefore, in front of
+scribeLatinto write

To “write in front of” meant to publish openly, including publishing someone's name as outlawed or condemned. This public condemnation broadened into denouncing and officially prohibiting something.

In context

CrashCourse2:32
The Constitutional guarantees of free speech and free press do not permit a state to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force
Freedom of Speech: Crash Course Government and Politics #25

More examples

  • Federal laws proscribe discrimination in hiring.
  • The government proscribed the group after a series of attacks.
  • The contract explicitly proscribes sharing confidential information.

Forms

proscribe · proscribes · proscribed · proscribing

proscription noun — An official ban on someone or something.

Similar words

prohibit
A more common term for forbidding through rules or authority.
ban
A plainer term for officially forbidding something outright.
outlaw
Specifically means making something illegal, rather than merely against rules.