ban
1
[ ban ]
/ bæn /
verb (used with object), banned, ban·ning.
to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
Archaic.
- to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
- to curse; execrate.
noun
Origin of ban
1
before 1000; Middle English
bannen, Old English
bannan to summon, proclaim; cognate with Old Norse
banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of ME word), Old High German
bannan; akin to Latin
fārī to speak, Sanskrit
bhanati (he) speaks
SYNONYMS FOR ban
OTHER WORDS FROM ban
ban·na·ble, adjective un·banned, adjectiveWords nearby ban
Definition for ban (2 of 4)
ban
2
[ ban ]
/ bæn /
noun
a public proclamation or edict.
bans, Ecclesiastical.
banns.
(in the feudal system)
- the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
- the body of vassals summoned.
Origin of ban
2
1200–50; Middle English, aphetic variant of
iban, Old English
gebann proclamation, summons to arms (derivative of
bannan
ban1), influenced in some senses by Old French
ban, from same Germanic base
Definition for ban (3 of 4)
ban
3
[ ban, bahn ]
/ bæn, bɑn /
noun
(formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
History/Historical.
a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.
Origin of ban
3
1605–15; < Serbo-Croatian
bân, contracted from
*bojan,
*bajan, said to be < a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek
bo(e)ános ban
Definition for ban (4 of 4)
ban
4
[ bahn ]
/ bɑn /
noun, plural ba·ni [bah-nee] /ˈbɑ ni/.
a Romanian coin, the 100th part of a leu.
Origin of ban
4
1960–65; < Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps < Serbo-Croatian
bân
ban3
Example sentences from the Web for ban
British Dictionary definitions for ban (1 of 3)
ban
1
/ (bæn) /
verb bans, banning or banned
noun
Word Origin for ban
Old English
bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse
banna to forbid, Old High German
bannan to command
British Dictionary definitions for ban (2 of 3)
ban
2
/ (bæn) /
noun
(in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations
Word Origin for ban
C13: from Old French
ban, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German
ban command, Old Norse
bann
ban
1
British Dictionary definitions for ban (3 of 3)
ban
3
/ (bæn) /
noun plural bani (ˈbɑːnɪ)
a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu
Word Origin for ban
from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat
bān lord