early 15c., preventen, "act in anticipation of, act sooner or more quickly than (another)," from Latin praeventus, past participle of praevenire "come before, anticipate, hinder," in Late Latin also "to prevent," from prae "before" (see pre-) + venire "to come" (from a suffixed form of PIE root *gwa- "to go, come").
Originally in the literal classical meaning. The meaning "keep from existing or occurring" is by 1540s; the sense of "anticipate to hinder, hinder from action by opposition of obstacles" was in Latin but is not recorded in English until 1660s.
"serving to prevent or hinder," 1650s, from prevent + -ative. An irregular formation; preventive is more correct. As a noun from 1774.
"serving to prevent or hinder; guarding against or warding off," 1630s, from Latin praevent-, past-participle stem of praevenire "come or go before, anticipate" (see prevent), + -ive. As a noun, "something taken or done beforehand," from 1630s; in medical use from 1670s. Related: Preventively; preventiveness.
mid-15c., prevencioun, "action of stopping an event or practice," from Medieval Latin preventionem (nominative preventio) "action of anticipating; a going before," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin praevenire "come or go before, anticipate" (see prevent). Original sense in English now is obsolete; the meaning "act of hindering or rendering impossible by previous measures" is from 1660s.
*gwā-, also *gwem-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to go, come."
It forms all or part of: acrobat; adiabatic; advent; adventitious; adventure; amphisbaena; anabasis; avenue; base (n.) "bottom of anything;" basis; become; circumvent; come; contravene; convene; convenient; convent; conventicle; convention; coven; covenant; diabetes; ecbatic; event; eventual; hyperbaton; hypnobate; intervene; intervenient; intervention; invent; invention; inventory; juggernaut; katabatic; misadventure; parvenu; prevenient; prevent; provenance; provenience; revenant; revenue; souvenir; subvention; supervene; venire; venue; welcome.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit gamati "he goes," Avestan jamaiti "goes," Tocharian kakmu "come," Lithuanian gemu, gimti "to be born," Greek bainein "to go, walk, step," Latin venire "to come," Old English cuman "come, approach," German kommen, Gothic qiman.
"prevent ingress and egress from by warlike means," 1670s, from blockade (n.). Related: Blockaded; blockading.
early 15c., prohibitif, "having the quality of prohibiting, serving to forbid," from Medieval Latin prohibitivus, from prohibit-, past-participle stem of Latin prohibere "hold back, restrain, hinder, prevent" (see prohibit). Of prices, rates, etc., "so high as to prevent use," it is from 1886. Related: Prohibitively. Alternative prohibitory (1590s) is from Latin prohibitorius.
1610s, "prevent by anticipative action," from Latin praecludere "to close, shut off; hinder, impede," from prae "before, ahead" (see pre-) + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). The more literal sense of "close, shut up, prevent access to" (1620s) probably is obsolete. Related: Precluded; precluding.
