Prevent
/prɪˈvɛnt/noun
To stop something from happening or to act in advance to hinder it.
Did you know?Prevent comes from Latin praevenire, and in older English it could mean to anticipate or even go before someone in rank or action, not just block them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷem-
“to come, go”
Latin
Latin
venire
“to come”
Latin
Latin
praevenīre
“to come before, anticipate; forestall”
Middle English
ME
prevenen
“to anticipate, forestall, hinder”
Modern English
English
prevent
“to stop something from happening”