To forbid or prohibit something, especially by law. To condemn or denounce as dangerous or harmful.
From Latin proscribere, combining pro- (forth, publicly) + scribere (to write). In ancient Rome, to proscribe meant to post someone's name publicly on a list of enemies of the state, essentially condemning them to death or exile. The word entered English in the 16th century, softening to mean general prohibition.
To 'proscribe' originally meant writing someone's name on a public death list! Roman proscription lists were literally written 'forth' for all to see. This sinister sibling of 'prescribe' shows how the same root can take opposite meanings - one writes medicine instructions, the other writes death sentences.
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