What does enjoinment mean?
Enjoinment is a noun denoting the act of enjoining — that is, formally commanding or directing someone to do something, or prohibiting them from doing it. It appears most often in legal contexts, where an enjoinment is essentially what lawyers more commonly call an injunction: a court's authoritative order restraining a party from a particular course of action. Outside law, the word can describe any solemn charge or prescription imposed on a person, as when a moral duty is laid upon a community. The term derives from the verb 'enjoin', which traces back through Old French 'enjoindre' to the Latin 'iniungere', meaning 'to impose upon' or 'to order'. Because 'injunction' dominates everyday and professional usage, 'enjoinment' carries a distinctly formal, even archaic flavor. Its near-homograph 'enjoyment' — differing by a single letter — makes careful spelling essential, since confusing the two would invert a stern command into mere pleasure.
nounThe act of enjoining someone to do or refrain from doing something; an injunction or formal command. In legal contexts, it denotes a court-ordered prohibition or directive.
- A formal command or directive, especially a court-ordered injunction prohibiting or requiring some action.
- The general act of imposing or prescribing something upon someone.
"The judge's enjoinment barred the company from publishing the confidential documents."
"Under strict enjoinment from the board, executives were forbidden to discuss the merger publicly."
"The teacher's enjoinment that students complete their reading was repeated daily."
Rarely pluralized; typically used in the singular to denote a single command or injunction.
"The contract contained several enjoinments against disclosing trade secrets."
Swap one letter and 'enjoinment' turns from a court's stern command into pure 'enjoyment' — a slip that has embarrassed more than one legal writer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enjoinment
Enjoinment comes from the verb 'enjoin', which entered English via Old French 'enjoindre', itself derived from Latin 'iniungere', meaning 'to join upon' and figuratively 'to impose' or 'command'. The Latin root combines 'in-' ('upon') with 'iungere' ('to join'), making the word a relative of 'junction', 'conjunction', and even 'conjugal'. The noun form 'enjoinment' arose in English as a regular derivation from the verb, alongside the older and now far more common 'injunction'.
Related word forms
How enjoinment is actually used
Enjoinment is rare compared with its synonym 'injunction' and is chiefly found in legal writing. It is markedly formal in register.
Easily confused with enjoinment
Enjoyment means pleasure or satisfaction, while enjoinment means a formal command or prohibition — they differ by only one letter but are entirely unrelated in meaning.