What does forbiddance mean?
Forbiddance is a noun meaning the act of forbidding something, or the resulting condition of its being prohibited. It functions as a formal synonym of the more familiar 'prohibition', describing orders, rules, or decrees by which an authority — a government, institution, parent, or governing body — bars some action or thing. In everyday modern usage it is uncommon; most speakers reach instead for 'ban', 'prohibition', or 'forbidden'. Where it does appear, often in legal, religious, or literary writing, it lends a weighty, official tone to the prohibition being described. The word derives from the Old English verb 'forbēodan', meaning to command against, joined to the noun-forming suffix '-ance'. Its connotations are those of restriction and authority rather than menace — unlike the adjective 'forbidding', which describes a threatening appearance, forbiddance concerns rules and their enforcement, making it useful when precision about the source of a prohibition matters.
nounForbiddance is the act of forbidding something, or the condition of being prohibited; a formal prohibition.
- The act of forbidding something; a prohibition imposed by authority.
- The state or condition of being forbidden.
"The forbiddance of smoking in public buildings transformed daily life in the city."
"By strict forbiddance of the school board, phones must remain locked away during lessons."
"Despite his parents' forbiddance, he kept practicing the guitar late into the night."
The plural is rare, appearing chiefly when multiple prohibitions are being discussed together; most writers prefer singular forms or the word 'prohibitions'.
"The monastery's forbiddances covered diet, dress, and speech alike."
While 'forbidden' gets all the glory, its quieter cousin 'forbiddance' does the same job with a lawyerly air — one of the few English nouns built directly on an Old English verb of command.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of forbiddance
Forbiddance traces back to the Old English verb 'forbēodan', formed from 'for-' (against) combined with 'bēodan' (to command or proclaim), a Germanic root that also gave rise to the verb 'bid'. The noun itself was created by attaching the suffix '-ance', borrowed through Old French from Latin '-antia', which turns verbs into nouns of action or state. This places forbiddance in the same family of action-nouns as 'guidance' and 'allowance'. It has been used since at least the early seventeenth century, though it never achieved the currency of its sibling 'prohibition'.
Related word forms
How forbiddance is actually used
Forbiddance is a relatively rare and somewhat formal or literary alternative to the far more common 'prohibition'. It carries a slightly old-fashioned, legalistic tone and is best reserved for contexts where formality or emphasis on authority is intended.
Easily confused with forbiddance
'Forbidding' is an adjective describing something threatening or unwelcoming in appearance, whereas 'forbiddance' is a noun denoting the act or state of prohibiting something.