To prevent something from happening by making it impossible; to rule out or exclude in advance. It implies blocking or eliminating possibilities before they can occur.
From Latin 'praecludere' meaning 'to shut off in front,' combining 'prae' (before) and 'claudere' (to close). Entered English in the 17th century, maintaining its sense of preventive blocking or exclusion.
Preclude is stronger than simply 'prevent' - it suggests closing off possibilities so completely that they can't even arise, like how being born in one country precludes being a natural-born citizen of another, making some options fundamentally impossible!
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