To stop something from happening, or to make it impossible for it to occur. It can also mean to make something less likely to happen.
From Latin *praevenire* meaning 'to come before', from *prae-* 'before' and *venire* 'to come'. It originally meant 'anticipate' or 'go before' and shifted to 'stop by going before'.
Prevention is time strategy: you move before the problem does. Doctors, engineers, and safety rules all work by stepping into the future and blocking bad outcomes. It’s usually cheaper to prevent than to repair, but people emotionally prefer fixing what they can already see.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.