prohibition
/ˌpɹoʊ(h)ɪˈbɪʃən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An act of prohibiting, forbidding, disallowing, or proscribing something.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A period of time when specific socially disapproved consumables are considered controlled substances.
Countable; Uncountable
name
Any of several periods during which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal.
name
Any of several periods during which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal.
American usage
Example Sentences
- "By its terms, the Twenty-Second Amendment bars only the election of two-term Presidents, and this prohibition would not prevent someone who had twice been elected President from succeeding to the office after having been elected or appointed Vice President. Broader language providing that no such person "shall be chosen or serve as President . . . or be eligible to hold the office" was rejected in favor of the Twenty-Second Amendment’s ban merely on election. (Amdt22.1 Overview of Twenty-Second Amendment, Presidential Term Limits, The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation)"
- "But the prohibition on active advocacy and participation left a wide margin of allowable activity and was open to interpretation."
- "Appeals courts, including the 5th Circuit, have in the past upheld the federal ban in question. But more recently, some courts have shown hostility towards gun prohibitions aimed at 18- to 20-year-olds."
- "First, some persons might consider my advocacy of prohibition rather odd for a congressman coming from the state which produces the finest bourbon whiskey in the world. While this is true, it is also true that prior to the Eighteenth Amendment a large majority of the counties of Kentucky had voted against the sale of liquor under what was known as the county unit plan. Since repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment a substantial majority of Kentucky counties have voted under local option to outlaw liquor. My stand on the question, first in voting for the submission of the Eighteenth Amendment, and later for an amendment to appeal it, was a matter of principle and not of expediency."
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman and Old French prohibicion, from Latin prohibitiō. By surface analysis, prohibit + -ion.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, prohibicion, prohibitiō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpɹoʊ(h)ɪˈbɪʃən/
- British English: /ˌpɹəʊ(h)ɪˈbɪʃən/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- American usage