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"to ban" in seven languages

Meaningto ban

Spanish

prohibir

/pɾoiˈbiɾ/

learned

French

interdire

/ɛ̃tɛʁdiʁ/

other source · Latin INTERDĪCERE 'to forbid', remade on dire

Italian

vietare

/vjeˈtare/

other source · Latin VETĀRE 'to forbid'

Proibire also exists, a little more formal.

Portuguese

proibir

/pɾoiˈbih/

learned

Romanian

interzice

/interˈzitʃe/

other source · Romanian inter- + zice 'to say' (← DĪCERE), modelled on French interdire

Catalan

prohibir

/pɾuiˈbi/

learned

English

ban

/bæn/

native English · Old English bannan 'to summon, proclaim'

English → Italianto banvietareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: prohibit, prohibition; interdict (fr); veto (it).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PROHIBĒRE‘to hold back, to forbid’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Three Latin verbs for one idea: Spanish 'holds back' (PROHIBĒRE), French 'speaks between' (INTERDĪCERE), Italian keeps VETĀRE, whose 'I forbid' is English veto.

English relatives: prohibit, prohibition; interdict (fr); veto (it)

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In a sentence

  • esEl ayuntamiento prohibió los coches en el centro.
  • frLa mairie a interdit les voitures dans le centre-ville.
  • itIl comune ha vietato le auto in centro.
  • ptA prefeitura proibiu os carros no centro.
  • roPrimăria a interzis mașinile în centru.
  • caL'Ajuntament va prohibir els cotxes al centre.
  • enThe city banned cars from the center.

More in Core verbs

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