prevent

Where does the word "prevent" come from? It comes from Latin praevenire, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Prevent’s story begins in Latin: praevenire meant “to come before, to anticipate.” To come before, to anticipate, from prae- (before) and venire (to come). It reached English by 1400s as prevent. Settled as the English word for stopping something from happening. Today, prevent means to keep something from happening.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient praevenire "to come before, to anticipate", to come before, to anticipate, from prae- (before) and venire (to come).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s prevent "to stop something from happening", settled as the English word for stopping something from happening.