proscribe
verb
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Proscribe vs. Prescribe
Proscribe and prescribe each have a Latin-derived prefix that means "before" attached to the verb "scribe" (from scribere, meaning "to write"). Yet the two words have very distinct, often nearly opposite meanings. Why? In a way, you could say it's the law. In the 15th and 16th centuries both words had legal implications. To proscribe was to publish the name of a person who had been condemned, outlawed, or banished. To prescribe meant "to lay down a rule," including legal rules or orders.
Examples of proscribe in a Sentence
Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 12 Sep. 2024
See, for instance, the efforts to mitigate the harms of drug use as opposed to proscribing individuals’ activities.
—Christine Emba, The Atlantic, 8 July 2024
The United States is only further isolating itself and diminishing our declining prestige in the eyes of the rest of the world with his wish to proscribe only those who are not in his favor.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
In most universities, physical confrontations, the targeting of individuals with threats or harassment, and the disruption of campus activities are explicitly proscribed.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Proscribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proscribe. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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Legal Definition
proscribe
transitive verb
Latin proscribere to publish, proscribe, from pro- before + scribere to write
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