Ban
/bæn/noun
A formal or official prohibition or exclusion.
Did you know?In medieval usage, a ban was not just a rule—it was a lord’s public command, and the same old Germanic root also survives in words like “banner,” “band,” and “bench.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bha-
“to speak, tell, or proclaim”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bannaną
“to summon, proclaim, command”
Old English
OE
bannan
“to summon, proclaim, command”
Old French
OF
ban
“public proclamation; summons; banishment”
Middle English
English
ban
“a formal proclamation, especially an order of exile or prohibition”
Modern English
English
ban
“an official prohibition”