English
prohibitive
Prohibitive comes from Latin prohibeō ‘to forbid, prohibit’, and goes back to habeō ‘to have’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘to have’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprohibeōas prohibēre, past-participle stem‘to forbid, prohibit’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prohibitīvus
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prohibitif
- Englishearliest quotation 1960prohibitive
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘to have’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprohibeōas prohibēre, past-participle stem‘to forbid, prohibit’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prohibitīvus
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prohibitif
- Englishearliest quotation 1960prohibitive
Earliest quotation: 1960, The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened: “The economics of rebuilding all the stations covered by…”
Equivalent to prohibit + -ive
Latin habeō ‘to have’
Latin prohibeō ‘to fend off, prevent, prohibit’
Middle English prohibiten
English prohibit
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, to take’
doubt, habitat, endeavor, dubious, habitual, gab, javelin, aver, 25 more
through Latin habeō ‘to have’
able, due, average, ability, habit, exhibition, debit, inhibition, inhibit, debenture, haver, habilitation, 22 more
Today it means
adj Tending to prohibit, preclude, or disallow.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin habeō / prohibitive